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TFIE 

PLEASING LIBRARY, 

CONTAINf^G 
A SELECTION OF 

HUMOROUS, ENTERTAINING, ELE- 
GANT AND INSTRUCTIVE 



PIECES, 

IN PROSE AND POETRY;. 

FROxM THE T!;rOST CELEBRATED 
WRITERS. 



'-X><K>=rXX><:s<>::XX'^'^-^X>C:=<X>D<X>::XXX-- 

By NATHANIEL HEATON, Jun. 

"-XXXXXXXXXXX-^-5^-5|^XXXXXX:XXXXX- 



^FUBLISHED ACCORDING ^Q jcT OP COh-CRFSS. 



W R E N r H A M, (Ma,,.) 

Printed and fold b^ the AUTHOR ; fdd alfo \^j ^^avib 

Heaton, Providence, Oliver Fak^ s wort ii. New-- 

port, Epiiraim Goo^alc, Meit- 

don, &(; — x8ot 



^J: 



CONTENTS^ 



RIENDSHIP 7 

The Moor and Spaniard r^- - — ,9 , 

The Blackbirds — an xrlegy — *^ ^^ 

Seged of Ethiopia — -— ' ^3 

Defcription of the Nurf^^ry of a Maiden Lady ^5 

I Can't • — —- -^ a8 

The Funeral Oration of a Peaiant — 3^ 

Rol^ ^- -i" — ■ 33 

Falfc Education -^ ■— 37 

The Bankrupt Tradefrnan ^^ -^' 43 

The Happy Man ■*— — 47 ' 

Home — — Mavor 4^j '■ 
A fufpiclous Tsmper the Source of Mifery to its 

PoffelTor — — _ . — 51 
On the Vanity of fome Men's Wifhcs ' 

and Prayers — Adbison So ^ 

On Ghofts and Apparitions . — Addison SJ 
Tt) begin Nothing of which- you have not well 

confidered the End -— ^ ' Ai) bison 59 

Adventures of a family Bible Part i. Mayor * Co 

Adventures of a family Bible Payt n. Mayor G'^ 
Qninifclence and Omniprefenc'e of the Deity, the 

Source bf Qonfolation to Good Men AddisgxM Cj 

The Creator's Works attcfl his Greatnefs Addison ; i 

Oh Aerial Callle-Buildliig — — - 73 

The Abfcnt Man — . —• f^ 



IV 

Singular Memoirs of Pat. O'Connor — g^ 

An odd way of bargaining for a Wife — 84. 

The Mouiuain-of Miferies — — * 86 

The liauRted Houfe — — 90 

The Creiition required to Praife its Aitthor- Anon 96' 

The Vifion continued from page %^' — 99 

Moderation in our Wifhes Recommended Blair 103 

Piety ami Gratitude enliven ProfperJty Blatr 106 

On Spendhig Time — — 110 

On Pieafure — — 115 

Rank and Riches afford no Ground for Envy BlVirt 119 
The Mortifications of Vice greater than thofie of 

Virtue — — Blair lai 
The Dignity ©f Virtue amidft corrupt 

Examples — - — Blair 1*3 
The Clemency and amiable Chara<Ser of -the Patri- 
arch Jofeph — — Blajr 125 
The Way cf the World - — — * 129 
The penitent Ghoft, or wonderful Stratagem 133 
The Glofe of Life ~~ — Blami 145 
On the Juftice of Providence in the diftribution 

of Riclies — — 14^ 
Carazan's Vifion : or, fecial Love and Benefi- 
cence Recommended — — ,150 
The Paflions — anode — Collins 156 
On the IJsad-Drefs of the Ladies — — 160 
Catharina Alexowna — Goldsmith 164 
On fpending Time — — 170 
Religion and Death — — 17J 
Charge delivered by the Prefident to the Graduates 

qI Rhode-Ifland College •— — Maxcy 178 



TheRofe — -^ — i^^5'' 
The Captive — — . ic6 
The Moule's Petition '^ — — 1S7 
The Story of Father Niclicks — U') 
The Power of Innocence — — - ^'^Z 
The Glory of Virgiiiius — ■— '^^^ 
The Friar's Tale ♦-* -^- — ^-^ 
The diftreffed Widow -^ -^ '^-34 
Hiflory of Demetrius — — ^3i 
Verfcs fuppofcd to be written by Alexander Sel- — 
kirk, during his folitai^y' abode in the Ifiand of — 
Juan Fcrnandea- — ^ -^-^ — " 2jy 
ADcfcription on the AiTibiguity of Nothing 2^-) 
Virtuous AAivity, <?cc. • —- ■ — — ^ 24- 
Story of Idris -^ •■ — ' — ^ ' 243 
The Indian Student; or, the force of Nr.ture 230- 
■W^om- ' — ^^ ^'- i:fi' 



BLEASING^ LIBRARY* . 

FRIENDSHIP. - 
-^- 

X HE coirjfarts arifing from the good 
offices of friendfliip are lb highlf valuable above ail- 
that riches or power can bellow^ that the i^ery mimic- 
ry of friendfhip is one of the favors ^^hich wealth or 
•grandeur ^can^heftow on thofe who poffefs them/- It 
IS not altogether for rhelr own fake that riches and 
power are fo much eftecmed, but chie% for the fub- 
ferviency of tVofe friends and partifans which they 
are fuppofed to procure. And if you take away 
thefe friendihips (faife ap.d Inconftant as they general- 
ly are) riches become ufelefs and-power vaniihes. A 
true virtuous friend has many amiable qualities which, 
in a low degree faintly refemble the attributes of the 
Deity,rearon wherewith to advife, love to cherifh, com- 
paffion toptty5wifdom to prevent your wants>and fome- 
times power to relieve them ; together with integrity to 
remove all fufpicion of deceit and felf intereft. In ihon 
the benefits accruing from real friendihip are inefti- 
mable. <* A true friend'' fays the fon of Sirach <* is 
a firong defence, and he that has found fuch a one 
has found a treafure. Nothing can countervail a true 
friend, and his excelleiiey is iavaluabk. A faithful - 



3^ Ti&E PLEASING LIBRARY. 

friend is a medicine of life, and they that fear the • 
Lord Ihall iind hun. 

Suppofe a man to be' thrc>^ni upo'n a defclate Ifl- 
and let a ftfpyerior being approach him with a friend in 
onehandj, and all the riches of the. earth in the other, ^ 
and give the man leave to choofe which he moH de- ; 
fired. Would he 'hefitate a moirient to choofe the 
friend! Of what ufe could riches be in his prefent 
. fituation ? ' Is there not fomething Jnlrinfic in friend- 
ffiip, an mfepafable bleCng ufeful at all times, and In * 
all places, which, power ianddcHes deftitute of friends ^^ 
cannot beftovvv 

Our Fivti parent had all the beauties of creation t<^ ' 
contemplate, all the animals under his jurifdicdon, all- 
the beauties of paradife to enjoy. But when a true 
friend' was prefented to him, he was fo tranfported- 
with the gift that he- fee me d to negled all the other 
favors'he had received — We hope €ven at the hour of 
death, fooh to meet a virtuous friend, who has gone 
before us, or whom we leave behind us in this world ; - 
T^hereas riches and povv'er (except fo far as we have "^ 
made a virtuous- ufe of them) xire then to depart from - 
us forever. 

I blefs and magnify th^^holy nam'e, O my gracious 
God, for thofe ftiithful friends widi vrhich thou hafl ^ 
favored me. Let their good exam.ple excite me to love 
and {ervQ thee. And, z) Lord if it be confiftent with thy 
wifdom and juHice. let our friendfhip, begun through 
thy mercy hete, be cultivated and perpetuated througli- 
al! eternity; 



THE .PLEASING LIB'RARY/ ^ 

The moor and SPANIARD. 

— ^— ■ 



T 



HE ipaiilfli liiftorians relate u memo- " 
rable iftftance of honor -and regard to truth. A Span- 
ilh cavalier iii aiutlden quarrel flew a Moorifh gcnlle- 
man, and fled. His purfuers foon loft fight of him, 
for he had unperceived thrown himfelf jover a garden 
wall. The owner,, a MT)or5 happening to be " in his 
garden, was addrefled by the Spaniard on his knees^ - 
who acquainted him with his cafe, and implored con- 
cealment. - *^ Eat thiSj" faid the Moor, (giving him ' 
half a peach) *' you now know that you may confide 
in my proteaian.'' He then lockedhim up in his gar- 
den apartment, telling him as foon as it was night he 
would prov^ide-forhis efcape to a place of greater fafe- 
ty. The Moor then went into bis houfe, where he had '^ 
but juft feated himfelf, when a great crowd, with loud 
lamentations, came to his gate, brmging the-corpfe, of 
his fon, who had juft been killed by a Spaniard. When 
the firft fliock of furprife wis a little over, he learnt 
from the difcription given,- that the fatal deed was done 
by the very pcrfon' then in-his power.- He mentioned 
thisto no one ; but as foon as It V/as dark -retired to 
his garden, as if to grieve alone, giving ^ orders that 
none fhould folio Vv'- him. Theaaccofted the Spaniard, 
he faid, <« Chriftian, the perfon you have killed is my 
ion, his body is now in m-y houfe. You ought to fuf- 
fer ; but you have eaten with me, and I have given 
you my faith, which muft not be broken." He then 
led the aitoiiilhed Spaniard to hi^ ftable. and mounted-^ 



fto ' THE - PLEASmO JLIBRA'RY. • 

Kim on one of his fieeteft horfes, and fald, <' Fly farP, 
while night caa cover you ; you v/ill be fafe in the--' 
rnoraingr You are hidtjed guilty of my fon's blood ^• 
but God is jua and good, and I thank him I am inno- ' 
cent of yours, und that my laldi given is^prelerved.'* 

This point of honor is mod rehgiouny oblbrved by 
the Arabs and Saracens, from whom it v/as adopted ■ 
by the Moors of Ati'ica, and by them was brought into 
Spain ; the effeds of which remain to this day : fo 
that wlien there is any tear of a war breaking out be- 
tween England and Spain, an Englilh merchant there, ' 
who apprehends the confifc^tion of his goods as thofe 
of an enemy, thinks them fafe ?f he can get a Spaniard 
to take chargeof them i -fbr the Spaniard fscures them 
as'hrs own, and f^khfuUy -re-delivers them, or pays 
the value, whenever the Enghfhman demands them.- 
One inftance of Spaniih honor cannot but ftiil be frefii ^ 
in the memory of many living, a«d deftrves to be^ 
handed down to tbe-iatei^ poileriiy.'' 

ln-theTeaT'i74u, when we were in hot war "Nvith ' 
Spain, the Elizabeth of London, captain William Ed- 
wards, coming thmiigh the Gulph from. Jamaica, rich- 
ly laden, met with a m.oit :^7ioient Rorm.in which the fhip - 
fprung aleak,that obliged ihem, for the laving of their 
lives, to run into the Havannah, a Spanifn port. The 
captain went en fhore, and diredVly waited on the gov- 
ernor, told the occafion of his putting in, and that he 
furrendered the fliip^ a. prize, and himftlf and his" 
linen as prifoners of wM", only requefting good quarter/ 
**^No Sir," replied th&.Spanifb governor, " if we had 
t^kan you i-n fair war at fea, -or. approaching our CQJtl^'^ 



: THE PLEASING LIBRARY. zx 

vS^ith hoftile intentions, your fliip would then have been 
a prize, and your people prifoners ; but when diftreff- 
ed by a temped, you come into our ports for the fafe- 
ty of your lives^ we the enemies, being men, are bouird 
as fuch by the laws ^ of humanity to afford relief to 
diflrelled men \vho afk it of us. We cannot even a- 
gainft our enemies take advantage of anai5l of God* 
You hare kave therefore to unload your fhip, if it be 

■ neceflary, to ftop the leak; you may refit her here, 

, and tr««^c fo far as fhall be neceffary to pay the charg- < 
es ; you may the'n depart, and I will give you a pafs 
to be in force till you are beyond Bermuda : if after 
that you are taken, you will then be a lawful prize j 
but now you are only a ftranger, and have a ftijanger^s 
right to fafety and protedion/* The fhip according- 

;ly departed, and arrived fafe. in London. 

The BLACKBIRDJS -an elegy. 

— *^ — 



;S> 



> PRING had'fetum'd and nature fmil'd^ >>f^ 

Verdure had crown'd each wood and vale, 
All was compos'd, ferene, and mild. 
And notes of pleafure fwelPd the gale. 
'Twas then a blackbird and its xn^t^ 
In a feringo built her neft, 
' The patient hen afljduerasfat 
•With trembling I'^ing and heaving breaft, 

T*^o chirpcrs foon reward thi^ir care, 
.T{ic ple-dge-s of their mutual love? 



s3ta THE- PLEASING LIBRARY, 

The pleafing tafk the parents fnare, 
And range forfood the blofTom'd grov^c. 
Re turning through a ftrubbery rn ead^ 
The gentle-pair, with anguiih, faw 

* Their little _ones -expiring bleed 

• Beneath a wanton tyrant's paw. 

In vam they feebly flatter'd rounds 
: In vain they pour* d a plaintive lay, 
Deaf to the fweet pathetic found, 
m The plunderer illU retained her prey. 

" Whither, ah, whither, fhall we fly ? 
Life has no value now," they fung; 
** We'll melt the murd'rers heart, and die 
With wings ftretch'd fondly o'er-^our young. ^^ 

When he had finiflied, he thought fomething was 
f {till wanting ; — he had not paid a compliment to 

"Julia. He cut his pencil again and again, but it wouM 
•Tiot do ; the firing was too fine to touch upon. , He 
'.went toi bed in defpair. In the morning, when he 

took his leave, he prefented the paper to Julia. She 
: read the title, and put it into her bofom, with a fmile* 

Bui that fmile betrayed a fecret fhe wifhed to have 

concealed. — -It forced a tear down her cheek. 

Spirits of love andfympathy ! Infpirers of all the 
foft afFe^ions, of all that is beautiful in feeling, anS 
elevated initought 1 Ye alone can tell, ye who can a- 
wake fuch trilling harmony from that fweet inftrument 
the human foul, ye alone can. tell what fine, what e-x- 
quifitely fine cement unites congenial natures, what 
■ magnetic principle operates upon them. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. xj 

^EGED GF ETHIOPIA. 
— ^ — 



s. 



\ EGED, lord of Ethiopia, to the inhabi- 
tants of the world : To the fons of prefumption, ha- 
mility and fear ; and to the daughters of forrow, con- 
tent and acqiiiefcence. 

Thus, in the twenty- feventh year of his reign, fpoke 
Seged, the monarch cf forty nations, the diftributor 
of the w^aters of the Nile : " At length, Seged, thy 
toils are at an end ; thoU haft reconciled difafFediion, 
tliou haft fuppreifed rebellion, thou haft pacified the 
Jealoufies of thy courtiers, thou haft chafed war from 
thy confines, and eredled fortreftes in the lands of thy 
enemies. All who have offended thee, tremble in thy 
prefence, and wherever thy voice is heard, it is obey- 
ed. Thy throne is furrounded by artnies, numerous 
as the locufts of the fummer, ai\d refiftlefsas the blafls 
of peftilence. Thy magazines are ftored with amuni- 
tion, thy treafures overflow with the tribute of con- 
quered kingdoms. Plenty waves upon thy fields, and 
opulence glitters in t],iy cities. Thy nod Is as the earth- 
quake that flrakes the m.ountains, and thy fmilesasthe 
dawn of the vernal day. In thy hand is the ftrength 
o.^thouiands, and thy health is the health of miilionc, 
Ixiy palace is gladdened by the fong of praife, ar.d 
thy path perfumed by the breath of benediction. Thy 
lubjeds gaze upon tliy greatnefs, ai;d think of d^neer, 
of m. ery no more. Why, Seged, wilt thou rot Par- 
take the bleliings (hou beftoweft ^ Why fhcuJdeft thou 



U THE PLEASING LIBRAHY. 

only forbear to rejoice in this general felicity. Wb? 
fliould thy face be clouded with anxiety, >vhen the 
Hieaneft of thofe who call thee fovereign, gives the day 
to feilivity, and the night to peace ? At length, Se- 
ged, refled and be wife. What is the gift of conqueft 
but f^ifety, why are riches coIle<51:ed but to purchafe 
happinefs ?*' 

Segtd then ordered the houfe of pleafure, built in 
$n ifiand of the late Dambea, to be prepared for his 
reception. <* I will retire" fays he, '* for ten days from 
• tumult and care, from counfels and decrees. Long 
quiet is not the lot of the governors of nations, but a 
ceffation often days cannot be denied me. This fhort 
interval of happinefs may furely be fecured from the 
interruption of fear or perplexity, forrow or difappoint- 
ment. I will exdude all trouble from my abode,' and 
remove from my thoughts whatever may confufe the 
harmony of the concert, or abate the fweetnefs of the 
banquet. I will fill the whole capacity of my foul 
with enjoyment, and try what it is to live without a 
wiih unlati<>fied.'^ 

In a few days the orders were performed, and Se- 
ged haftened to the palace of Dambea, which flood in 
an liland cultivated only for pleafare, planted with ev- 
ery flower thatfpreads its colors to the^ fan, and every 
flirub that flieds fragrance in the air. In one part of 
this extenfive garden, were open walks for excurfions 
fn the morning ; in another, thick groves, and filent 
arbors, and bubbling fountains for repofe at noon. 
Ail that could folace the fenfe, or flatter the fancy, 
^11 that induftry could extort from nature, or wealth 
fin-nifli to aVt, all that conqueft could feize, or benefit 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 15 

ccnce attra<5t, was collected together, and every percep- 
tion of delight was excited and gratified. 

Into this dellcioas region Seged fummoned all the 
perlbns of his court, who Teemed eminently qualiiied to 
receive or communicate pkafare. His call was readily- 
obeyed ; the young, the fair, the vivacious, and the 
witty, were all in harie to be fated with felicity. They 
failed jocund over the lake, which feenied to fmooth its 
furface before them : Their pafHige was cheered with 
Hiufic, and their hearts dilated with expe<5tation. 

Seged landing here with his band of pleafure, deter- 
mined from that hour to break oiF air acquaintance 
with difcontent, to give his heart for ten days to eafe 
'and jollity, and then fall back to the common ftate of 
man, and fuffer his life to be dLveifified, as before, with 
joy and forr<)w. 

•He immediately entered his chamber, to confider 
where he Ihould begin his circle of happinefs. He 
had all the artifts of delight before him, but knew not 
whom to call, fmce he could not enjoy one, but by de- 
laying the performance of another. ' He chofe and 
rejeded, he refolved and changed his refolutlon, till 
his faculties were harraffed, and his thoughts confufed ; 
then returned to the apartment where his prefence was 
expected, \vlth languid eyes and clouded countenance, 
and fpread the infedion of uneafmefs over the whole 
alTembly. He obferved their depreffion, and was of- 
fended, for he found his vexation increafed by thofe 
whom he expected to diilipate and relieve it. He re- 
tired again to his private chamber, and fought for con- 



l6 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

folation in his own mind ; one thought flowed in up- 
on another ; a long fucceffion of images feize'd his at- 
tention : the moments crept imperceptibly away thro* 
the gloom of penfivenefs, till having recovered his tran- 
quillity 3 he lifted up his head, and faw the lake bright- 
-^ned by the fetting fun, ** Such/' fa id Seged fighing, 
"is the longed day of human exiftence : Before we 
have learned to ufe it, we -find it at an end.'* 

The regret which he felt for the lofs of fo great a 
part of his firfl: day, took from him all difpofuion to 
enjoy the evening ; and, after having endeavored for 
the fake of his attendants, to force an air of gaiety,. 
and excite that mirth which he could not fhare, he re- 
folved to refer his hopes to the next morning, and lay 
down to partake with the Haves of labor and poverty, 
ths bleiling of fleep. 

He rofe early the fecond morning, and refolved now 
to be happy. He therefore fixed upon the gate of the 
palace an edifl, importing, that whoever, during nine 
days, fhould appear in the pre fence of the king witk 
dejei5ted countenance, or utter any expreffion of dif- 
content or forrow, fhould be driven forever from the 
palace of Dambea. 

This edidl was immediately made ktiown in eve- 
ry chamber of the court and bower of the gardens. 
Mirth was frighted away, and they who were before 
dancing in the lawns, or fingingin the fhades, were at 
once engaged in the care of regulating their look s, 
that Seged might find his will pundually obeyed, and 
fee none among them liable to banifhment* 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 17 

Seged now met every face fettled in a fmlle ; but a 
fm'ile that betrayed folicitude, timidity, and conftraint. 
He accofted his favorites with familiarity anti foft- 
nefs ; but they durfl not fpeak without premeditation, 
left they fhould be convicted of difcontent or fcrrow. 
He propofed diverfions, to which no objection was 
made, becaufe objedlion would have implied uneafmefs ; 
but they were regarded with indifference by the court- 
iers, who had no other defire than to fignalize them- 
felves by clamoi-ous exultation. He offered various 
topics of conve:rfation, but obtained only forced jefts, 
and laborious laughter, and aftei' many attempts to 
animate his train to confidence and alacrit)'-, was ob- 
liged to confefs to himfelf the impotence ofcom.mand, 
and refign another day to grief and difappointment. 

He at lafl: relieYed his com.panicns from their ter- 
rors, and jfhut himreli up in his chamber to ascertain 
by' different meafures, the felicity df the ^fucceeding - 
days. At length h-e thre\v himfelf on the bed', and 
cidfed his eyes, but imagined, in his fleep, -that his 
palace and gardens were overwhelmed by an inunda- 
tion, and wakexi v/lth aU the terrors of a man (Iruggling 
in the water. 'He compofed himfelf again to reft, but 
was affrighted ■ by an imaginary irruptl-on into his 
kingdom, and ftriving, as is ufual in dreams, withont 
ability to move, fancied himfelf betrayed co his ene- 
mies; and 'dgciin itartcd up" with horror and indigna- 
tion, 

It was how d.iy, and fear was fo ftrongi/ impreffed 
on'his mind, that he could ileep no more. He roie, 
bat his thoughts v/ere filled with the deluge and inva- 
iion, nor was he able to difcngage his attention; or min~ 



i8 THE PLEASING LRABRY. 

gle with vacancy and eafe in any amufement. At 
length his perturbation gave way to reafon, and he re- 
foived.no longer to be harraffed by vifionary miferles ; 
but before this refolution could be completed, half the 
day had elapfed : He felt a new conviction of the 
uncertainty of human fchemes, and could not forbear 
to bewail the weaknefs of that being, whofe quiet was 
to be interrupted by vapors of the fancy. Having 
been firft difturbed by a dream, he afterwards griev- 
ed that a dream could difturb him. He at laft difcov- 
ered, that his terrors and grief were equally vain, and 
that to lofe the prefent in lamenting the paft, was vol- 
untarily to protract a melancholy vifion. The third 
day was now declining, and Seged again refolved to 
be happy on the morrow. 

On the fourth morning Seged rofe early, refrefhed 
with fleep, vigorous with health, and eager with ex- 
pedtatlon. He entered the garden, attended by the 
princes and ladles of his court, and feeing nothing a- 
bout him but airy cheerfulnefs, began to fay to his 
heart, " This day fliall be a day of pleafure.'* The 
fun played upon the water, the birds warbled in the 
groves, and the gales quivered among the branches. 
He roved from walk to walk as chance diredted him, 
and fometimes liftened to the fongs, fometimes min- 
gled with dancers, fometimes let loofe his imagination 
in flights of merriment : and fometim.es ^ttered grave 
reflexions, and fententious maxims, and feafled on the 
admiration wnth which they were received. 

Thus the day rolled on, without any accident of vex- 
ation, or iutrafiou of melancholy thoughts. All that 



THE PLEASING JLIBR.AXY. r^ 

.beheld him caught gladnefs from his looks, and the 
fight of happiiiefs conferred by himfelf filled his heart 
with fatisfadion : But having paffed three hours in 
this harmlefs luxury, he was alarmed on a fudden by 
an univerfal fcream among the women, and turning 
back, faw the whole affembly flying in confufion. A 
young crocodile had rifen out of the lake, and was 
ranging the garden m wantonnefs or hunger. Seged 
beheld him with indignation, as a diilurber of his fe- 
licity, and chafed him back into the lake, but could not 
perfuade his retinue to ftavj or free their hearts from 
the terror which had feized upon them. The prin- 
ceffes inclofed themfelves in the palace, and could yet 
fcarcely believe themfelves in fafety. Every attention 
was fixed upon the late danger and efcape, and no' 
mind was any longer at leifure for gay faliies or care-- 
lefs prattle. 

' Seged had now no other employment than to con-- 
template the innumerable cafualties which lie in am- 
buih on every nde to intercept the happinefs of man, 
and break in upon the hour of delight and tranquillity. 
He had, however, the confolation of thinking, that 
he had not been difappointed by his own fault, and 
that the accident which had blafted the hopes of the 
day, might eafily be prevented by future caution. 

That he might provide for the pleafure of the next 
morning, he relblved to repeal his penal edi<5^, fmcehe 
had already found that difcontent and melancholy were 
not to be driven away by the threats of authority, and 
that pleafure would only refide where fhe was exempt- 
ed from control. Hs therefore invited all the com- 



c.o^ - THE PLEASmo LIBRARY. 

panions of his retreat to unbounded pleafantry, by pro- 
pofmg prizes forthofe who fliould oiithe following day, 
diftinguiih themfelves by any feftive performances ; 
the tables of the antechamber were covered with gold 
and pearls, and robes and garlands decreed the re- 
wards of thofe who could refine; elegance or heighten 
pleafure. ■ 

At this difplay of riches every ' eye immediately 
fparkled, and every tongue was bufied in celebrating 
the bounty and magnilicence of the emperor. But 
when Seged entered, in hopes of uncommon entertain- 
ment from univerfal emulation, he found that' any paf- 
ilon too ftrongly agitated, puts" an end ti5 that tran- 
quillity which is neceflary to mirth, and that the mindj 
that is to be moved by the gentle ventilations of gaie- 
ty mull be firft fmoothed by a total calm. ' Whateveir 
we ardently wiQi to gain, we mufl in the fame degree 
be afraid to lofe, and fear and plcafure cannot dwell 
together^ " 

All w£s now care and folicitude*. Nothing was 
dohe or fpoken, but with fo .vifible an endeavor at per- 
fedioii, as always failWi to delight, though it fome- 
times forced admiration : And Seged could not but 
obferve with forrow, that his prizes had more influence 
than himfelf. As the evening approached, the con- 
tef!: grew more earneft, and thofe who were forced to 
allow themfelves excelled, began to difcover the ma- 
iignity of defeat, firft by angry glances, and at laft by 
cdntemptucus murmurs. Seged hkewife ftiared the 
anxiety of the day ; for confidering himfelf as obliged. 
t4) diilribute with exa^ juftice the prizes whJch- had 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 21 

been fo zealoufly fought, he durft never remit his at- 
Lention, butpafTed his time upon the rack of doubt in 
balancing different kinds of merit, and adjufting the 
claims of all the competitors. 

At laft, knowing that no exa^nefs could fatisfy 
thofe whofe hopes he fhould difappoint, and thinking 
that on a day fet apart for happinefs, it would be cruel 
to opprefs any heart with forrow, he declared that all 
had pleafed him alike,- and difmiffed all with prefents of 
eqiial value 

Seged foon faw that his caution had not been able 
to avoid offence. They who had believed themfelves 
fecure of the higheft prizes, were not pleafed to be lev- 
elled with the crowd ; and though, by the liberality 
of the king, they received more than Ms promife had 
intitled them to expedl, they departed unfatisfied, be- 
caufe they were honored with no dirtindtion, and want- 
ed an opportunity to triumph in the mortification of 
their opponents. " Behold here'' faid Seged, <' the 
condition of him who places his happinefs in the hap- 
pinefs of others." He then retired to meditate, and^ ^ 
while the courtiers were repining at his diilributions^ 
faw the fifth fun go down in difcontent. 

The next dawn renewed his rcfolution to be happy^ 
But having learned how little he could effed by fet- 
tled fchemes of preparatory meafures, he thought it 
beft to give up one day entirely to chance, and left - 
every one to pleafe and be pleafed his own Way. 

This relaxation of regularity diffufed a general com- 
placence through the whole court, and the emperor 



li~ THE PLEASING JLIBRARY. 

imagmed, that he had at lad found the fecret of ob- 
taining an interval of felicity. But as he was roving 
in this carelefs aiTembly. with equal careleunefs. he over- 
heard one of his courtiers in -a clofe arbor niurnmr- 
ing alone. ** What merit has Seged above us, that 
we" fhould thus fear and obey hlna, a m'anj whom \vhat- 
cver he may have formerly performed, his luxury now 
Ihows to hiT/e the fame weaknefs with bur ftlves ?*' 
This charge afFefted hihl' the more, as it was uttered 
bf one whom he had always obferved among the moil 
abjecl of his flatterers. At fird his indignation prompt- 
ed"' him to fc verity ; but refie<5ring, that wh^t was fpok- 
cn, without intention to be heard j was to be confidered 
as only thought, and was perhaps bnt the fudden burft 
of cafual and temporary vexation, he invented fome 
decent pretence to fend him -away, -that his retreat 
might not be tainted with the breath of envy ; and 
after the ilruggle of deliberation w^as paft, and all de- 
fire of revenge utterly fuppreifed, palled the evening 
not only with tranquillity, but triumph, thoughinone 
but himfelf was confcious of the vidOfy. 

The remembrance of this clemency cheered the be- 
gisning of the feventh day, and nothing happened to 
difturb the pleafure of "Seged, till ^looking on the tree 
that Ihaded him, he recoliedled that under a tree of 
th^ fame kind he had paffed the nigh & after his defeat 
in the kingdom of Goiama. The reflection on His 
lofs, his diihonor, and the miferies which his fubjeds 
fiiffered from the invader, filled him with fadnefs. At 
]#^ he -ihook off the weight of forrow, and began to 
foiace himfelf with his ufual pleafures, when his tran- 
quillity was again difturbed by jealQufies which the 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 23 

late conteft for the prizes had produced, and which, 
having in vain tried to pacify them hy perfuafion,^ he 
v;as forced to filence by command. 

On the eighth morning Seged was av/akened early 
by an miufual hurry in the apartment, and enquiring 
the caufe, was told that die princefs Balkis was feized 
with ficknefs. He rofe, and calling the phyficians, 

. found that they had little hope of her recovery. Here 
was an end of jollity. All his thoughts were now 

. upon his daughter, whofe eyes heclofed on.the tenth 
d^y. 

Such were the days which Seged of Ethiopia had 
appropriated to a fhort refpiration from the fatigues 
of war and the cares of government. This narrative 
he has hequeathed to future generations, that no 
man hereafter. may prefume to fay, ** This day Ihall 
be a day of happlnefs.'^ 

DESCRIPTION OF the NURSERY of a MAID«. 
EN LADY. 



w. 



_^ — 

HEN I went the other.day to vifit Mrs. 
Penelope Doat, after I had,ieen waiting fome time 
in the parlor, the fervant returned with her mif- 
trefs's com.pliments, and acquainted me, that llie was 
extremely bufy, and begged to be excufed coming 
down to me, but that fhe fhould be very happy to fee 
me in the nurfery. I was a good deal furprifed at the 



'^4 'X^HE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

::meffage, as I Jknew (he was a maiden lady ; but I 
thought proper to follow the fervant up itairs to her 
miftrefs, whom I found combing a little w^hite dog 
that lay in her lap, w^th a grey parrot perched on one 
arm of the fopha where fhe fat> a monkey on the back, 
and a tabby cat with half a dozen kittens in the other 
corner. The whole room, which was a very large one, 
w^as a nurfery for all kinds of animals, except thofe of 
the human fpecies. Gages hung all round it, con- 
taining parrots, Canary birds, nightingales, linnets, 
goldfinches, &c. On the chairs were feveral cats re- 
pofmg themfehes on foft cufliions ; and ..there w^ere 
little kennels in the Chinefe tafte in almoft every cor- 
.ner of the room, filled <with pugs, iidos, and King 
Charles's breed. 

As fcon as the chattering of the birds, the bark- 
. ing of the dogs, and the mewing of the cats, which 
,my entrance occafioned, began to ceafe, " You find 
.me, (faid the lady) tending my little family, the on- 
ly joy of my life ; here is a dear pretty creature ! 
.(holding up the little dog fhe was combing) a beauty, 
Sir, a fine long eared fnub nofed beauty ! Lady Fad- 
, die advertifed three quarters of a jear, and could not 
get the fellaw to it. Ah, blefs it and love it, fweet 
foul!" And then ihe flroaked it, and kiifed it for near 
.two minutes, uttering the whole time all fhole inar- 
ticulate iouvAs, which cannot be committed to panerr 
.and which are only ^ddrefftd to dogs, .cats, and chil- 
dren, and may very prcperly.be ftiled the languacr-c 
,vOf the nurfery. 



The .lady cbrc.-rved .,me 



u:e -embr,^' 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 12,3 

bellowed on her motley darling, and fald, " I am 
afraid, Sir, you do not love theie pretty creatures. 
How can you- be fo cruel ? poor dumb things ! I 
would not have them hurt for all the world ; nor do 
I fee why a lady lliould not indulge herfelf in having 
fuch fweet little company about her, as wVll as you 
men run out eftates in keeping a pack of filthy hounds/' 
She then laid Pompey on his velvet culhion by the 
fire fide, and railed at the barbarity of the human 
fpecies to the reft of the creation, and entered into a 
long diflertation on tendernefs and humanity. 

A human difpofition is indeed fo amiable either in 
man or woman, that it ought always to be cheriftied 
and kept alive in our bofom^s ; but at the fame time 
wx fliculd be cautious not to render the firft virtue of 
our nature ridiculous. The moft compafTionate tem- 
per may be fuiKcienLly grsktified by relieving the wretch- 
ed of our own fpecies ; but -^aIio^ would ever boaft cf 
their generofity to a lapdog, and their conferring eternal 
bbligalions on a monkey ? Or would any perfon de- 
ferve to be celebrated f<)r his charity, who iliould de- 
ny fuppcrt to a relation or a friend, becaufe he main- 
tains a litter of kittens? .For my own part, before I 
would treat a Diitch piippy with iuch abfard fondnefs> 
I muft be brought ■ to worfliip do'gs as the Egyptians 
did of old ; and before I .>vould fo extravagantly dote 
upon a monkey^ I would, change my humanity with 
i baboon, jf 

My female friend is' not the only inftance of this 
rondncfs for tlie brute creation being carried to faci? 



.j6 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

^ ncliculous lengths. Many grave do<^ors of the facial!- 
t:y have been called in to feel the pulfe of a lap-dog^ 
and infpedt the urine of a fquirrel, and one lady of my 
acquaintance, carried the abfuydity fo far, as to dif- 
charge her chaplain becaufe he refufed to bury her 
Hionkey ; another friend of mine, but of the other fe?:, 
caufed his favorite dog to be buried in Hyde- Park, 
his houfckeeper and ot7aer fervants attended, and they 
had each mourning rings upon the occafion, with the 
name and age of the dog enamelled thereon, the en- 
amel v^LW -white, becaufe my friend afferted that his fa- 
vorite was a bachelor. 

But of all follies, farely it is the greateft to provide 
for-thefe anim.als by will, which abfurd legacies de- 
ferve as little the title of humanity, as thofe doners 
merit the epithet of charitable, who in a death-bed 
fright flarve their relations by leaving their eftates to 
found an hofpital. It is very much to be wiflied, that 
money left in truft for fuch ufes, were fubjedl to fome 
flatutes of mortm.aln ; or at leafl, that the gentlemen 
of the long robe, would contrive fome fcheme to cut 
off the entail from monkeys, Italian grey-hounds, and 

tabby cats. 

■i 

It is nol fo furpvifing that a ftage coachm.an fhould 
love his hcrfes better than his wife or chi'dren ; or a 
country Efquire be fond of his hounds and hunters, 
becaufe the reafon of this regard for them is eafily ac- 
counted for ; upon the fame principles, a fea captain 
has43ecn known to contract an affedion for his fhip ; 
' but no coachman would like Caligula, tie his horfes to 
a golden rack, but thinks he fhcws fufficient kindneis 
by filling them with good v/holefcme provender ; and 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. ^7 ' 

the country fportfman takes care to provide his hounJs ' . 
with a good kennel and horfe-flefti, but wouicl never 
di'eam of placing them on a cuiliion before ihe fire, 
feeding them 'with fricaffee, or breeding th^m wl:h 
as much care as the hc^ir to his eilare. 

Amongfl the fair fex this irregular palTion is mod 
frequently to be found. How often has the flighted 
gallant envied the careffes giVen to a lapdog, or kiir^s 
beftowed on a fqnirrtl ? and *' I would I ^vere thy 
brrd!'' har been the fond exclamation of many a Ro- 
meo. But this ait>:a:ion for birds and beafts genera ly 
wears oiT after marriage, and the ladies commoniy 
difcard their four-footed darlings, and feathered favor- 
ites, when they can beftow their endearments on an 
hufband. On thi^s account, thefe dry nurfes to pugs 
and grimalkins, are generally to bcmet w^ith amongll 
thofe femaks, who have been difappointed in the af- 
fairs of love, and have, againft their will, retained the 
flower of their virginity till it has withered in their 
poffeffion. Itfome:imes happens, that there is a kind 
of analogy between the gallant they once loved, and 
the animal on which they afterwards fixed their affec- 
tions ; and I very well remember an inftance of a la- 
dy's pafiion for a lawyer being converted into dotage 
on a parrot, and have an old maiden aunt, who once 
languifaed for a beau, whofe heart is now devoted to 
a monkey. 

After what has been faid, it will not appear ftrange, 
that a lady Ihould be very foiicitous to preferve the 
breed of her favorite animals ; a gentleman in Si, 
James's ftreet, lately fent his little Cupid in a fedaa 



aB THS PLEADING LIBRARY. 

chair as far as Grofvenor-fquare? to wait upon a I2-, 
dj^s Venus for this purpofe y and I fhall always re- 
member ^ card which was fent to another lady on a 
like occafion, expreiTed in the following terms : 

Mr. PI =k's compliments to lady Betty L-~ j 

h glad to hear Mifs Chloe is fafely delivered, and begs, 
as a particular favor, that her ladyfliip would be pleaf- 
ed to fet him down for a puppy* 

I CAN'T. 

jr\,SlC the Child to do his duty, obey his . 
!]^arents> — I can't— fays he~afk the youth to put up- 
on his fhoulders the prudent head of experienced age— 

I can't is his anfwer. ^Afk the hoiden to banifh 

dreams from her pillow-— I can't is her excufe. 

Afk the young mau, to forfake bad company, and 
the haunts of vice, I can't fays he for I love both. 
The fad: is, we leave tliefe things unattempted, and 
therefore difcover not the beauty, virtue, or merit of 
obedience. 

We can't forego the delufive charms of fancy and 
her airy fweets for the fober realities of a world, 
whofe bl-cflings we have never experienced, and of 
whofe pleafantnefs, we have had only a Pifgah prof- 
pefl. Efop tells us of a waggoner, v/hofe heavy wheels 
bad got faftened in a flough ——he called upon Her- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 29 

ciiles for help. But Kercales told him to apply his 
bedlly ilrength to extricate himfelf, and his carrl^e 
from ditHciiky. If the waggoner had faid, good Her- 
cules, I can't, his bones would have lain in the flough 
till this time, for all Hercules would have done for 
him, • 

I can't is the appology of the Lazy Man — tell Tim- 
berham the farmer to weed his garden- — to clear his 
land — to plant his garden — to hoe hi^ coni — to reap 

his wheat and gather in his harveft he. can't, for 

why > He is better employed in diaining his neigk- 

beur's laft year's clder= in fmoaking his pipe, or 

fettling the aitairs of the nation in a bar-room. His 
barefooted children want fome ilioes, his wife a itw 
pounds of fiax, his daughters fome nece/Tary artiqlcs, 
which prudent v/omen always think of when on the 
brink of matrimony; • He can't get them — his lar. irj 
He fallow ; not on account of their prior fiiperaburJ- 
ailce of produce, but for lack of the proper beilo w- 
irient of labor — and his daughter's hufoands may pur- 
chafe their own diaper, for all him, for he will i.^.t 
dig, and to beg he is afhamed. ■ 

He who anfwers, T can't, to a reqiiirition, betrnvs 
at once mod of the weaknefs and the foibles of 1:U- 
man nature. Induary and perfeverance can affcc^ 
every thing but the reform.ation r_{ a drunkard, a^d ■" 
rbe cultivation of a nulckfand. 

C %■■■ 



JO THE PLEASING LIBUAKY. 

Uhe funeral oration of a PEASANT. 



P 



ASSING by a village, I faw a compa^ 
ny of peafants, their eyes deje^ed and wet with tears^ 
who were entering a temple. The fight ftruck me : 
I ordered the carriage to flop, and followed them in. 
I faw in the middle of the temple the corpfe of an old 
man, in the habit of a peafant, whofe white hairs hung, 
down to the ground. The paftor of the village mount-. 
ed a fraall eminence, and faid 

** My' fellow-countrymen, 

'* The man you here fee was for ninety years 
a benefadlor to mankind. As foon as his legs could: 
fupport him, he followed his father In the furrows* 
When years had given him that flrength for w-hlch he 
long wllhed, he faid to his father, * Ceafe from your 
labors :' and from that time each rifmg fun has feeii 
him till the ground, fow, plant, and reap the harvefl. 
He has cultivated more than two thoufand acres of 
frefh land. He has planted the vine In all the coun- 
try round about ; and to him you owe thofe fruit-trees . 
that nouriln your village, and afford you fhelter from 
the fun. It was not avarice that made him unweari- 
ed in his labors. No, it was the love of induflry, for 
v/hich he was wont to fay man was born ; and the 
great and facred belief that God regarded him when 
culdvating his lands for the nourifhment of his chil- 
dren,—- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 3i - 

*« He married, and had twenty-five children. He 
formed them all to labor and to virtue, and they have 
all maintained an unblemiflied charadler. He has tak- 
en care to marry them properly ; and led them with 
a fmiling afped, to the altar. All his grand-children 
have been well educated ; and you know what a pure - 
unalterable joy dwells upon their countenances. — All 
thefe brethren love one another, becaufe he loved them^ 
and made them fee what pleafure he found in loving 
them. On days of rejoicing, he was the firft to found 
tlie rural inftruments ; and his looks, his voice, his gef- 
ture, you know, were the fignals for univerfal mirth. 
You cannot hut remember his. gaiety, the lively eiFe(5l 
of a peaceful mind ; and his fpeeches full of fenfe and 
wit — ^for he had the gift of exercifmg an ingenious 
raillery without giving, offence. 

*' He cheriilied order, from an internal fenfe he had 
of virtue. Whom has he ever refufed to ferve ? When 
did he ihew himfelf unconcerned at public or private' 
misfortunes ? When was he indifferent in his country's 
caufe ? His heart was devoted to it ; in his converfa- 
tion he conftantly wifhed for its profperity. 

*' When age had bent his body, and his legs trem- 
bled under'him, you have feern him mount to the fum- 
mit of a hill, and give leffons of experience to the ■ 
young hufbandmen. His memory was the faithful 
depofitory of obfervations, made during the courfe of 
fourfcore fucceifive years, on the changes of the fev- 
eral feafons. Such a tree, pianted^by his hand in fuch a 
year, recalled to his memory the favor or the wrath of 
heaven. He had by heart what other mea forget — 



3^ ■ th:e pleasing librai^^. 

the fruitful hai'vefts, the deaths and legacies to the 
poor. He feemed to be endowed with a prophetic 
fpirit ; and when he meditated by the light of th(^ 
tnoon^ he knew with v/hat feeds to enrich his garden. 

*' The evening before his death, he faid, ^ My chil^ 
dren, I am drawing nigh to that Being who is the 
Author of all good, whom I have always adored, and 
iri whom I truft. - To-morrow prune your pear-trees ; 
and at the fetting of the fun, bury me at the head of 
my grounds.' You are nov/ children, going to place 
him there, and ought to imitate his example. But^ 
before you inter thofe white hairs, which have fo long 
attra<5ted refpedt, behold with reverence his hardened 
hands i Behold the honorable marks of his long la^- ■ 
bors!" -• 

The orator then held up one of his cold hands. It " 
had acquired twice the ufual fize by continual labor, 
and feemed to-be invulnerable to the point of the bri- 
ar, or the edges of the flint. He then refpe(5lfully kif- 
fed the hand, and all the company followed his exam- 
ple. His children bore him to the grave, and buried' 
him as he had defired. 

Ah ! I cried—if th^ men celebrated by Boffuet^^ 
Fletcher, Mafcaron, and Neuville, had the hundredth- 
part of the virtue of this villager, I would pardon • 
ilie-m tlieir pompous and futile eloquence. 



.,Wi 



THE FLEASINO LIBRARY. 33,-: 

ROSA. 
-4— 



HAT afflids you, mj good man/' fald 
I. — Alas ! Sir, have you feen my vchild ?-^^The per- 
fon who thus anfwcred me, was a poor blind man^ 
feated on the trunk of a hollow tree, at the foot cf 
which iffued a filver fpring ; his bald forehead, rob- 
bed of its honors by the iron hand of time — his patch- 
ed wallet, unconfcious of the bounties of Ceres ;— . 
the hickory ftafF, on which he refted his debihtated 
arm ; — his body, that feemed fainting under the pref- 
fure of extreme hunger ;— his fightlefs eyes, and trem- 
ulous voice ; — ^altogether ftruck me with a kind of 
reverential horror. — I looked once more upon the ob- 
jedl which had fo ilvetted my amazement, and thought 
that Providence had deferted one of her weakeft chil- 
dren : — The limped ftream, that bubbled at his feet, 
murmured hoarfely in unifon with the language of dif- 
trefs, as if fenfible of "hisaccumulated forrow. 

I got off my horfe- — ^* I pray you inform m.e, my 
poor old man, have you, no one to conduct you to a 
roof, where plenty might gather joy, by wiping the 
tear of mifery from your furrov/ed cheek ?" — ^'No 
one," anfwered he, feebly raifuig his fnow- white head. 
He pronounced thefe lad words in a tone which made 
me think for a moment, that humanity had abandon- 
ed the world. — *^ What 1 not one, my old friend ;" — 
** Alas ! Sir, my wife and children have- all deferted 
me ; I am poor, old, and blind, yet I muft forgive 
them ; but my daughter, O my daughter !" repeated 
he, with a deep figh that feemed to efcape from the 
inmoft receffes of bis heart. — *^ Are you fpeaking cf -- 



^4' THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

a- favorite child, my old man ?" " Ah i good SiV;' 
ilie is more than a child, fhe is mj friend I It was fhe 
•^^vhom of all my children, I negledled when the rays 
Oi piofperity gladdened my younger clays ; and novvv 
when I am fallen into the vale of years, and laden 
with horror, fhe is the only- one who will adminifter 
comfort to my miferies !"~^" When did ihe leave 
you ?"— «' Yeflerciay, Sir, for the firft time."—" You ' 
have not furely been unhappy from your youth 1 you 
could not have arrived at fo advanced an age, if the 
vifitations of forrovv had been contkiual".— The poor 
man fighed, and gave me his hi (lory in a few w^ords. — - 
*' I had labored forty years to amafs a few hundred 
dollars by the fweat of my brow, which I fuddenly loir, 
hj the perfon becoming a bankrupt in whofe hands 1- 
had entruiled my little capital ; the preffure of a mif- 
fortune fo ferious and -unexpected, wa-s- infinitely too 
powerful to be refilled by {o weak a philofopher as I ; 
even the force of Chriftianity failed to alleviate the 
fling of woe. For thefe ten years pad my bdng has 
been comfortlefs (faid the poor old man, pointing 
to the place where his eyes once v/ere) ; for thefe ten- 
years pad I have been praying for my diffolution : 
many miferable wretches., who were doomed to w^an- 
der through the darkfome caverns of affliction, havd 
hope at leaft to ilrengthen them upon their jour- 
ney ; but my expedations -of mortal blifs are over.''- 
^ You .muft not lofe fight of hope, my good old man; 
it is poiTible you may yet be happy." ** Happy ! ah V 
dear Sir, circumftanced as I am, even to expedl fucht 
an event were prefumption." " You are not certain, 
my poor friend, but afliftance may be near you in the 
nioment of complaining.'' <« Affiftance ! I entreat 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. .35 

. yo'j, Sir, mock not my misfortunes ; can the power 
of kings give me a ray of light r'' — This.anfwer ftrudk 
me fo forcibly, that I immediately turned towards the 
fun, and could not help uttering a filent prayer of grat- 
itude to the Deity, that I was in poffelTion of fo invalu- 
able a gift. He remained filent for a moment, reft- 
ing his hands upon his ftafF, and bending his palfied 
head towards the earth, which feemicd, in the nftel^- 
choly ftate of my underftanding at that period, to 
call him to her bofom ; then iffuing. a woe-fraugkt 
figh, continued — ** Gh^ my daughter, my dear child ! 
but for her goodnefs I ihould long fmce have ceafed 
to exift ; when I determined to fupprefs my being, and 
die by the flow minillry of hunger — the poor child 
cries — embraces my nervelefs knees — calls me her fa- 
ther — her dear her honored father, in a tone of fup- 
plication fo perfuafive, and fo tender, that the iniluence 
of defperation yields to the entreaties of an angel ;^~ 

and yet — flie does not return ; Ah 1 Rofa, wilt 

thou leave me here to perifh without the confolation 
of a laft embrace — without the rapture of bellowing 
my final blefTmg on my child ?-rO, my Gcd ! doft 
tliQu then abandon me !" — 

The awful manner in. which he. uttered tbefe words 
chilled the very pulfes of my heart. I lifted my (Iream- 
ing eyes to heaven, and murmured involuntarily— :;•- 
God of nature ! is it.pofTible thou canft have aban- 
doned him ! The poor man thanked me, and I re- 
tired laden with anguifh. — I had wandered fome dif- 
tance from the. miferable man, when I perceived his 
daughter ; — I ran to announce the difcovery to her fa- 
ther ; — I would not have exchanged th^ commiffion to 
have been fovereign of the ■ world. — His greedy eitr 



30 ITHE PLEASING LIBRARY^ 

drank the intelligence with rapture, and the good old 
inan was cheered once more with a moment of joy. 
^is daughter arrived out of breath — flie had been far 
away, hegging charrty. for her unhappy father; I 
looked at the amiable Rofa with unutterable delight ; 
I thought her countenance was more than human ; 
ih^ uttered the fentiments ^of filial piety in fo graceful 
a manner^ tkat=^ pity, admiration, and refped:, at once 
ufurped the government of my tofom. 

I felt a delicious emotion in perceiving, with what 
- tindefcribabJe tendernefs the poor old 'man and his 
daughter embraced each bcher.— Oh ! Rouifeau !— ^ 
Oh ! YQrick ! if fuch a fcene was to pafs near yoEr 
tombs, would you not bmft from the cold monument 
of death,.to celebrate the virtues of the exemplary Rofa ! 

'^ Is it thee my deareft Rofa ;-— is it thee ?'' faid the 
aged father, flvetching out his withered hands, which 
feemed to feek the foadpbjeci of his regards with fyrn- 
pathetic agency >—'* where artthou' Rofa ? let me prefs 
thee to my panting hearty— you tarried fo long, that-I 
almofl began to think you had forfaken m.e." — Rofa in- 
ilantly killed the trembling forehead of her parent, and 
, w^et his filver locks with the tears of afFecfiion* 

'' I knew, my dear child,,.! well knew, that thou 
wouldll return ; come near m^t, that! may kifs thee 

! once more.'' '' /i ..; v/iil iitvtr defert this old rnxun a- 
gain ; but conuaudy watch by his fide^ to foften the 

. pangs of aSlictlon.''— ^' Ah ! Sir," replied the lovely 
girl, •' do you not knoA'."— ^* What, Rola ?"— '^ that, 
he is my father 1" — What a fent,iinent»i — could vol- 
umes e:.prefs mere ! Ye parents, w]io boafl: cf ed- 

J ucating your children L^greeable to the piinciples oi 

C Chriiiianity, bid tbci^^xead this tale. 



?PHE PLEASING LIBRARY. 37 

FALSE EDUCATION. 

Jufl as the twig is bent, the trce*s inclin'd. 



A 



.T the age of twenty-five I fucceeded 
to an eftate of 15 col. a year by the death of a fa- 
ther, by whom I Avas tenderly beloved, and for whofe 
memory I ftlU retain the moft fmcere regard. Not 
long after I married a lady, to whom I had for fome 
time been warmly attached. As neither of us were 
fond of the buftle of the world, and as we found it 
every day become more irkfome, we took the resolu- 
tion of quitting it altogether; and foon after retired 
to a family-feat, which has been the favorite refi- 
dence of my anceftors for many fuceeffive generations. 

There I paffed my days in as peifed happinels as 
any reafonable man can expecfl to find In this world. 
My afFedion and efteem for rny wife increafed daily ; 
and as flie brought me three fine children, two boys 
and a girl, their prattle afforded a new fund of amuie- 
ment. There were, likewlfc, in our neighbourhood 
feveral families that might have adorned any fociety, 
-with whom we lived on an eafy, friendly footing, free 
from the reftralnts of ceremony, which, In the great 
world, may, perhaps, be neceflary, but, in private life, 
are the bane of all fecial iiitercourfe. 
D 



f.S THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

There is no ftate, however, entirely free from care 
and uneafmefs. My folicitude about my children in- 
creafed with their years. My boys, in particular, gav.e 
me a thoufand anxious thoughts. Many plans of ed- 
ucation were propofed for tliem, of which the advan- 
tages and difadvantages were fo equally balanced, as 
to render the choice of any one a matter of no fmall 
perplexity. 

Meantime the boys grew up ; and the eldeft, who 
%vas a year older than his brother, had entered his tenth 
year, when an uncle of my wife, who, by his fervices 
in parliament, and ,an affiduous attendance at court, 
had obtained a very confiderable office under govern- 
ment, honored us with a vifit. He feemed much 
pleafed with the looks, the fpirit, and promifmg ap^ 
pearance of my fons ; he paid me many compliments 
.on the occafion, and I liftened to him with all the 
pleafure a fond parent feels in hearing the praifes qf 
liis children. 

After he had been feme days with us, he afked me 
in what manner I propofed to educate the boys, and 
what my vie ws were . as to their eflablifiiment in the 
•world ? I told him all my doubts and perplexities. 
He enlarged on the abfurdity of the old fafhioned fyf- 
tern of education, as he termed it, and talked much of 
the folly offending a boy to Eton or Weftmlnfter, to 
wade the mod precious years of his life in acquiring 
languages of little or no real ufe in the %vorld ; and 
l)egged leave tO' fugged a .plan, w^hich, he faid, had 



THE PLEASING LIBRARr. 3^^ 

b^eri attended with the greateft fuccefs m a variety of 
inftances that had fallea wiihiu his own particular 
knowledge. 

Kis fcheme was to fend my fons for two or three 
years to a private fchool in the neighbourhood of Lon- 
don> where they might get rid of their provincial dia- 
ivjfl, which J he obier/ed, would be alone fuiiicient to" 
difappoint ail hopes of their future advancement. 

He propofcd to fend them afterwards to an acade- 
my at Paris, to acquire the French language, with 
every other accomplilhment neceffary to fit them for 
the v/orld. " When your eldeft fon," added he, ** is 
thus qualified, k will be eafy for me to get him ap- 
pointed fecretary to an embaffy ; and if he fliall- then^ 
poflefs thofe abilities of w4iich he has now every ap- 
pearance, I make no doubt I fhail be able to procure 
him a feat in parliament ; and there wall be no office ia 
the ftate to which he may not afpire. As to your fec- 
ond fon, give him the fame education you' give his 
brother ; and, when he is of a proper age, get him a 
commiffion in the army, and puih him on in that line 
as faft as poffible.'* 

Though T faw fome objeffions to this fcheme, yet, 
I mufl confefs, the flattering profpe6l of ambition it 
opened, had a confiderable eifed upon my mind ; and, 
as my wife, who had been taught to receive the opin- 
ions of her kinfman with the utmoil deference,- warm- 
ly feconded his propofal, I at lengthy though net with- 



'»^ THE PLEASING- LIBRARY. 

out rdudance, gave my affeut to It. When theday 
ot departure came, I acco-mpanled my hoys part of 
the way ; and, at taking leave of them^ mt a pang i 
tlien endeavored^ to conceal, and,' which I need not 
now attempt to defcribe. 

^ I had the fatisfaaion to receive, from. tim.e to time, 
the mod pleafmg accounts of their progrefs ; and af:. 
terthey went to Paris, I was ftill more and more flat- 
tered with what I heard of their improvement. 

At length the wifhed^for period of their return ap^ 
proached : I heard of their arrival in Britain, and that, 
by a certain day, we might exped: to fee them at- 
home. We were all impatience ; My daughter, in- 
particular, did nothing but count the hours and min- 
utes, and hardly flmt her eyes the night preceding the 
day on which her brothers were expe<5>ed : Her moth- 
er and I, though we flxewed it lefs, felt, I believe, equal: 
anxiety. 

When the day came, my girl, who had been conftant- 
ly on the look-out, ran to tell me fhe faw a poft-chaife 
driving to the gate. We hurried down to receive the^ 
boys. But, judge, of my aftonifliment, when I faw 
two pale emaciated figures get out of the carriage, in 
their drefs and looks refembling monkles rather than 
iraman creatures. What was ftill worfe, their man^ 
ners were more difpleafing than their appearance. 
When my daughter, ran up, with tears of joy in her 
eyes, to embrace her brother, he held her from him^ 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY, 4« 

and burft into an immoderate fit of laughter at fome- 
thing in her drefs that appeared to him ridiculous. 
He was joined in the laugh by his younger brother, 
who was plealed, however, to fay, that the girl was 
not ill-looking, and, when taught to put orfher clothes, 
and to ufe a little roiige^ would be tolerable. 

Mortified as I was at this impertinence, the partial- 
ity of a parent led me to impute it, in a great meaf- 
ure, to the levity of youth ; and I ftill flattered mylelf 
that matters were not fo bad as they appeared to be. 
In thefe hopes I fat down to dinner. But there the 
behaviour of the young gentlemen did not, by any 
means, tend to leifen my chagrin : There was nothing 
at table they could eat ; they ran out in praife of French ^ 
cookery, and feemed even to be adepts in the fclence : 
They knew the com^ponent ingredients of the molt falh- 
ionable ragoos and fncandeaus^ and were acquainted 
with the names and characters of the moil celebrated 
praditioners of the art in Paris, 

To flop this inundation of abfurdity, and at the iame 
time, to try the boys further, I introduced fome top- 
ics of converfation, on which they ought to have been 
able to fay fomething- But, on thefe fubjefe, they 
were perfectly mute ; and I could plainly fee their ii- 
lence did not proceed from the modefty and diffidence 
natural to youth, but from the moft perfed and pro- 
found ignorance. They foon, however, took their re- 
venge for the reftraint thus impofed on them. In their 
turn they began to talk of things, which, to' the red of 
the company, were altogether unintelligible. After 

D 2 



4* THE PLEASING LIBRART. 

fome converfation, the drift of which we could not dit 
C0ver, they got into a keen debate on the comparative 
merit of the Dos de puce^ and the Puce en Couches ; and, 
in the courfe of their argument, ufed words and phrafes 
which to us were equally incomprehenfihle as the fub- 
jecl on which they were employed. Not long after my 
poor girl was covered #ith confufion, on her brother's 
aiking her, If fhe did not think th^ Cmjfe de la Reine 
the prettied thing in the world > 

But, Sir, I fliould be happy, were I able to fay, that 
Ignorance and folly, bad as they are, were all I had to 
complain of. I am forry to add, that my young men 
feem to have made an equal progrefs in vice. It was 
but the other day I happened to obferve to the eldeft> 
that it made me uneafy to fee his brother look fo very 
ill ; to which he replied, with an air of the moft eafy 
indifference, that poor Charles had been a little unfor- 
tunate in an affair with an Opera-girl at Paris ; but, for 
my part, added he, I never ran thofe hazards, as I al- 
w-ays confined my amours to women of falhion. 

In ihort, Sir, thefe unfortunate youths have returned 
ignorant of every thing they ought to know ; their 
minds corrupted, and their bodies debilitated, by a 
courfe of premature debauchery. I can eafily fee that 
I do not poffefs either their confidence or affed:ion, and 
they even feem to defpife^me for the want of thofe friv- 
olous accompliiliments on which they value themfelves 
fo highly. In this fituation, what is to be done ? 
Their vanity and conceit make them incapable of lif- 
tening to reafon or advice ; and to ufe the authority 



THE l^LEASING LIBRARY. 4J 

of a parent, "would probably be as inefFedltfal for their 
improvement, as to me it would be unpleafant. 

I have thus, Sir, laid my cafe before you, in hopes 
of being favored with your fentiments upon it. Pof- 
fibly it may be of fome benefit to the public, by ferving 
as a beacon to others in fimllar circumftances. As to 
myfelf, I hardly expe6l you will be able to point out 
a remedy for that affliction which preys upon the mind, 
and, in all likelihood, will fiiorten the days, of 

Your unfortunate humble fervant, 
The bankrupt TRADESMAN. 



Beware of Extravagance. 

x\. YOUNG man of good chara(fler, fets 
up in bufmefs with a moderate capital, and a good 
deal of credit ; and foon after marries a young wo- 
man, with whom he gets a little ready money, and 
good expedations on the death of a father, mother, 
uncle, or aunt. In two or three years he finds that 
his bufmefs increafes ; but his own health, or his 
wife's, or his child's, makes it neceffary for him to take 
lodgings in the country. Lodgings are foon found to 
be inconvenient, and for ^ very fmall additional ex- 



44 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

penfe he might have a fnug little box of his own. A 
fnug little box is taken, repaired, new-modelled, and 
furniflied. 

Here he always fpends his Sundays, and common- 
ly carries a friend or two with him juft to eat a bit of 
mutton, and to fee how comfortably he is fituated in 
the country. Vifitors of this fort are not wanting. 
One is invited becaufe he is a cuftomer, another be- 
caufe he may affift hirn in his bufmefs, a third becaufe 
he is a relation of his own or of his wife^s, a fourth 
becaufe he is an old acquaintance, and a fifth becaufe 
he is very entertaining ; befides many who look in ac- 
cidentally, and are prevailed on to (lay to dinner, al- 
though they have an engagement fome where elfe. 

He now keeps his horfes for the fake of exercife ; 
but as this is a folitary kind of pleafure which his wife 
cannot fhare, and as the expenfe of a whiikey can be 
but trifling where a horfe is already kept, a whiikey is 
purchafed, in which he takes out his wife and his child 
as often as his time will permit. After all driving a 
whiikey is but indiiferent amufement to fober people ; 
his wife too is- timorous, and ever fmce Hie heard of 
Mrs. Threadneedle's accident, by the ilumbling of her 
horfe, will not fet her foot in one ; Befides the ex- 
penfe of a horfe and whiikey, with what is occafion- 
ally fpent in coach-hire, falls fo little fhort of what 
his friend Mr. Harnefs aiks for a job^oach, that it 
would be ridiculous not to accept of an offer that nev- 
er may be made him agaia.' 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 4S 

The job-coacb is agreed for, and the boy in a plain 
coat with a red cape to it, that ufed to clean the knives, 
wait at table, and look after the horfe, becomes a fmart 
footman with a handfome livery. Thefnug little box 
is now too fmall for fo large a family. There is a 
charming houfe, with a garden, and two or three acres 
of land, rather farther from London, but delightfully 
fituated, the unexpired leafe of which might be had a 
great bargain. The premlfes, to be fure, are fome- 
what more extenfive than he Ihould want, but the 
houfe is new, and, for a moderate expenfe, might be 
put into moll excellent repair. 

Hither he removes ; hires a gardener, being fond of 
botany, and fupplies his own table with every thing in 
feafon, for little more than double the money the fame 
articles would coft if he went to market for them. Ev- 
ery thing about him now feems comfortable ; but his 
friend Hamefs does not treat him fo well as he expedl-i- 
ed. His horfes are often ill matched, and the coach- 
man fometimes even peremptorily refufes to drive them 
a few miles extraordinary, for why, " he's anfwerable 
to his Mailer for the poor beads." His expenfes, it 
is true, are as much as he can afford ; but having, 
eoach- houfe and ftables of his own, with two or three 
acres of excellent grafs, he might certainly keep his 
own coach and horfes for lefs rnoney than he pays to 
Hamefs. A rich relation of his wife's too is dyingi 
and has often promifed to leave her fomething hand- 
fome. 



4(^' Tl^E PLEASING LIBRARY. 

The job-coach is difcharged, he keeps his ovm car- 
riage, and his wife is now able to pay and receive ma- 
ny more vifits than fhe could before. Yet he finds by 
experience, that an airing in a carriage is hut a bad- 
fubftitute for a ride on horfeback, in the way of exer- 
cife I he mud have a faddle horfe ^- and fubfcribes to 
a neighbouring hunt for his own fake, and to the- near- 
eft aifemblies for the fake of his wife. 

Durino- aJI this progrefs, his bufmefs has not been^ 
negled^ed ; but his capital, originally fmall, has never 
been augmented. His wife's rich relations die one af- 
ter another, and remember her only by trifling lega- 
cies i his expenfes are evidently greater than his iii* 
come ; and in a very few years, with the beft inten- 
tions in the world,, and wanting no good quality but: 
forefight to avoid, or refolution to retrench expenfes 
which his bufmefs cannot fupport ; his country-houfe 
and equipage, affifted by the many good friends who 
almoft conftantly dine with him,, drive him fairly in- 
to the Gazette*. 

The country-houfe k let, the equipage is fold, his^ 
friends Ihrug up their Ihoulders, inquire for how much 
he has failed, wonder it was not for more, fay he was- 
a good creature and an honeft creature ; but they 
^Jways thought it would come to ^his, pity him from 
their very fouls, hope his creditors will be favorable 
tQ. him, and go to find dinners elfe where. 



7liZ- PLEASING LIBRARY. aJ 



TJIE HAPPY MAN 

IN all the diiFerent fchemes mankind purftie,. 
The end's the fame : 'tis happhiefs in view : 
-For this, the mariner, while breaking waves 
Threat inilant death, the dangerous paffage braves j 
For this th' aftrologer, whole fleeplefs, nights 
Fix'd to the tube, explores the ftarry lights ; 
For this, the mifer hoards his lliining pelf. 
And to be r/c/'/y happy ftarves himfelf ; 
For this, fome tread the (lip'ry paths of ftate, 
And fancy blifs annexed to being great ; 
Others to different pleafures give the reins, 
While difappointment crowns th^ir fruitlefs pains. 
All are deceived who here expedl to find 
Aught that can fatisfy the human mind. 

Search thro' the world you'll find their's nothing can 
Afford the proper happinefs of man, 
That Power alone who gave all beings birth : 
Who form'd the heavens, and upholds the earth, 
Whofe word firll made, whofe mercy flill fuftains 
Thofe worlds unknown, o'er which his juftice reins> 
Whofe fmiles create eternal joy and peace, 
Is the true centre of unfading blifs. 

That man alone obtains the end defir'd, 
Whofe bofom with immortal love is fir'd j 



^3 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

Who follows happinefs in virtue's road, 
And fteadily obeys the will of god ; 
Who will by no temptation be betrayed .; 
Nor can by fear of puniflament be fway'd, 

' Whofe fixt defign is ftedfailly purfu'd. 
To feek his maker as his chiefeft good : 
Who by God's holy word his way directs, 
Watches each word, and every thought infpe<5ls ; 

.Gives up his own to his- Creator's mind, 
To a(6l, or faffer, is alike refign'd — 
This man (of Heaven's protetflion ever fure) 
While thoufands fall around, fh all ftand fecure ; 
While thofe who placM their happinefs below, 
Shall wake from dreams of blifs to endlefs woe. 

He fhall thro' life be happy, and when death. 
In ghaftly form, demandshis fleeting breath, 
Th' expe6^ed fummonshe will gladly hear. 
While confcious .virtue diffipates his fear ; 
Safely he'll venture thro' the darkfome way. 
The deftin'd paffage to eternal day,; 
And crown'd with glory which fhall never fade ; 
-Enjoy in heaven that God he here obey'd*. 

* Hence learn the real cj^riflian is the only. happy jviaii 



aPHE ptHAsiNG Library. 45 



HOME ! 



-^- 



Who vrouJd abroad in queft of pleafurc roam, 
That tafte the tranfports of a happy^home ! 



H. 



^OW many fenfibillties mid tender emo- 
donsare excited ! howTnanypoignantrefledionsmay 
be conveyed, by a fmgle word ! One word may call 
up a thoufand ideas to delight or agonize ; and the 
^.loft expreflii^ and energetic that language affords, 
either to footh or torment, is the fy liable — home. 

He who is ble/l in Iiis dorneftic relations, amidft 
the abftradions of bufinefs, and the infults or the in- 
gratitude of a felfifh world, confoles himfelf with the 
reflexion, that he will meet with arecompence for all 
tiis toils and difappolntments — at home. 

He who h engaged in diftant occupations, in the pur- 
luit of gain, or in the invefllgaticn of fclence, pleafes 
himfelf with the hope that he will find feme dear de- 
ferving connexions to participate Lis good fortune, or to 
v:hom he mny impart his knowledge— at home. 

While the cup of iirnocent picr.fure Invites tlie tafte ; 
while the charms of fociety enliven the hour, the mo- 
ments of reflection are mod delightfully filled up in 
every feeling heart, by the ftlll greater eiidcarments 
which await it — at hom.e^ 
E 



50 THE PLEASING I.IBRART. 

When the ftorms of life or of the elements overtake 
us as we are journeying on, though the firft may pen- 
etrate to the heart, and the latter chill the vital frame, 
they cannot wholly overcome him who is able to re- 
ficcl, that he has fom.e to feel for him, or to take care 
of him — at hQme, 

All the .various purfuits in which all mankind, who 
have any rational aim, are engaged, tend to a fmgle 
point ; and that point is to be happy and beloved — ■ 
.at home. 

How wretched then mufthebe, who, under the 
prefTure of calamity, the tyranny of wrong, and the 
attacks of difeafe, has no kind confole|g—at home \ 

How can he ftrup^gle with fortune, and not defpondl^ 
•who knows that all his toil, all his care, and all his fo- 
iicitude, find no grateful recompence — at hom.e ? 

Wretched is that man, though he may be the ob- 
je(51 cf tnvy or applaufe ; though the public may hail 
liis n<ime with deferyed honor, and call him bleR, v ho 
icels the vacuity of reciprocal tenderaefs, and a prif- 
on; — in his home. 

Wretched is that man, who cannot enioy the friends 
he loves, or the fociety in which he delights, nor even 
his own natural and rational pleafures — at home. 

Wretched is that man, who expending health, and 
renouncing pieafure for the fake of his domeftic ties, 
.meets only with the gall of bitternefs, and the ftir.gs 
of contumely — at home. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 51 

Wretched is that man, whole heart throbs with be- 
nevolence for all, whole boiom paats to give and re- 
ceive felicity in the circie of his duties, who has no 
congenial mind, no tender tiit;nii no aifectivnatc 
partner — at home 

In fine, as the prime bleSings of life, and the moft 
aggravaled and iirem<Jiauli3 ids, ariilj from doniellic 
intercouri^ and relations, of how great importance is 
it to enter into fuch affociations, and to form ftich' 
connexions, as are capable of endearing the thoughts 
of private enjoyment, of calling forth all the finer itn^ 
fations of the foul, and of blunting the edge of the moft 
opprefiive woe^ — at home, 

. Happiaefs depends neither on fortune nor on fame ; 
it is neither attached to the palace, nor defpifes the cot ; 
neither delights in finery, nor fpurns at rags ; but is 
alone to be found or miifed, to be enjoyed or lamented, 
in the retirements, whether fplendid or mean, of do«» 
mellic life, and home. 

A Suspicious TEMPER the SOURCE of MIS- 
ERY TO ITS POSSESSOR. 



J\ S a fufpicious fpiiit is the fource of man/ 
crimes and calamities in the world, fo it is the fpring 
of certain mifery to the perfon who indulges it. His 
friends will be few -, and fmall will be his comfort in 



5Z THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

thofe whom he poffeffes. Believing others to be his ene^ 
inies, he will of courfe make them fuch. Let his cau- 
tion be ever fo great, the afperity of his thoughts will 
often break out in his behaviour ; and in return for fuf- 
pecfling and hating, he will incur fufpicion and hatred. 
Befides the external evils which he draws upon himfelf, 
ariilng from alienated friendlhip, broken conlidencg, 
and open enmity, the fufpieious temper itfelf is one o^ 
the worll: evils which any man can fufFer. If " in all 
fear there is torment/' how miferable mud be his ftate 
who, by living in perpetual jealoufy, Hvesin perpetual 
dread ? Looking upon himfelf to be furrounded with 
fpies, enemies and defigning men, he is a ftranger to 
reli:^nce and truft. He knov/s not to whom to open 
himfelf. He dreffes his countenance in forced finiles, 
while his heart throbs within from apprehenfions of 
fecret treachery. Hence fretfulnefs and ill-hamour,. 
difguPt at the world, and all the painful fenfations of 
an irritated and embittered mind. 

So numerous and great are the evils arifmg from a 
fiifpicious difpofition, that, of th;; two extremes, it is. 
more eligible to cx'poijs ourfelves to occafional difad- 
vantag-.^ from thinking too well of others, than to fuiFer 
continual rnifery by thinking always ill of them. It is. 
better to be fometimes impofed upon, than never to 
truft. Safety is pur chafed at too dear a rate, when, 
in order to fecure it, we are obliged to be always clad 
in armour, and to live in perpetual hoftility with our 
fellows. This is for the fake of living, to deprive our- 
felves of the comforts of life. The man of candor 
enjoys his fituation.; whatever it is, v/ith cheerfulnefs 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. SS 

and peace. Prudence dlre<5ls lils interccurfe with the 
world ; but no black iiifpicions haunt his hours of reft. 
Accudomed to view the characters of his neighbours 
m the moil favorable light, he is like one who dwells 
. amidll thofe beautiful fcenes of nature, on which til's 
eye refcs with pleafure. Whereas the fufplcious man, 
having his imagination filled with all the ihocking 
forms of human falfehood, deceit, and treachery, le- 
fembles the traveller in the wildernefs, who difcerns 
no objeds around him but fuch as are either dreary or 
terrible ; caverns that open, ferpents that liifsj and 
bsafts of prey that hov4, --.;j4.\- 



On the vanity of some MEN's WISHES and 
PRAYEPvS. 

When to Almighty ]ovc. our prayers we more^ 
May virtue gujde, and heaven eur luit appro 



ve. 



M= 



.ENNIPUS, the philompher, was a 
fecond time taken up into heaven by Jupiter, when, 
for his entertainment, he lifted up a trap-door that 
was placed by his footilool. At its rifing there iifaed 
through it fuch a din o^ cries as aftoniihed the ]-hiL- 
fopher. Upon his ailclng what they meant, jiipiter 
told him they were the prayers that were fent up to 
him from tlie earth. Mennipus, amidfc the confufion 
of voices, which was fo great that nothiiig Icfs ihau 

E 2 



54 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

the ear of Jove could diftlnguifh them^ heard the 
words riches, honor, long life, repeated in feveral dif- 
ferent tones and languages. When the firil hubbub 
of founds was over, the trap-door being left open, 
the voices came up more feparate and diflin^t. 

The iirfl: prayer was a very odd one ; it came from. 
Athens, and defired Jupiter to increafe the wifdom and 
the beard of liis humble fupplinnt. Mennipus knew k,.^ 
by the voice, to be the prayer of his friend Lycander, 
the philofopher. This was fucceeded by the petition 
of one who had juft laden a ihip, and promifed Jupi- 
ter, if he took, care of it, and returned it home again 
full of riches, he would make him an oiFering of a fil- 
ver cup. Jupiter thanked him for nothing ; and bend.- 
ing down his ear more attentively than ordinary, 
heard a voicq complaining to him of the cruelty of 
-an Ephefian wid^vi^, and begging him to breed com.. 
pallion in her heart ; this, fays Jupiter, is a very hon- 
eft fellow. I have received a great deal of inceni'e 
irom him ; I will not be fo cruel to him as to hear* 
Jiis prayers. He was then interrupted with a whole 
volley of vows, Vvdiich were made for the health of a, 
tyrannical prince by his fubjecls, who prayed for him. 
in his prefence. Mennipus was furprifed, after hav- 
ing liftened to prayers offered up with fo much ardor 
and devotion, to hear low whifpers from the fame af. 
fembly, expoftulating with Jove for fufFering fuch a 
tyrant to live, and aiking how his thunder could lie 
idle ? Jupiter was fo oiFended at thefe prevaricating^ 
rafcals, that he took down the firfl: vows, and puffed 
away the Iafl» - 



l^E PLEASING LIBRARY. S$ 

Tlie phllofopher, feeing a great cloud mounting, 
upwards, and making its way diredly to the trap-door, 
inquired of Jupiter what it meant. This, fays Jupi- 
ter, is the fmoke of a whole hecatomb that is offered 
me by the general of an army, who is very importu- 
nate with me to let him cut oif an hundred thoufand 
men that are drawn up in array againll: him : what 
does the impudent wretch think I fee in him, to be- 
lieve that I vnll make a facriSce of fo many mortals 
as good as himfelf, and all this to his glory, for 
footh ? — But hark, iiiys Jupiter, there is a voice I nev- 
er heard but in time of danger ; it is a rogue that is 
Ihipwrecked in the Ionia7i Sea : I faved him upon a. 
plank but three days ago, upon his promife to mend, 
his m*anners ; the fcoundrel is not worth a groat, and 
yet has the impudence to offer me a temple if I will r 
keep him from fmking. But yonder, fays he, is a fpe- 
cial youth for you ; lie defires me to take his father^ 
who keeps a great eftate from him, out of the mi'fe- 
ries of human life. The old fellow fliall live till he 
make his heart ache, I can- tell him that for his pains. 
This was followed by the foft voice of a pious lady, 
defiring Jupiter that fhe might appear amiable and 
charming in the fight of her Emperor, 

As the phllofopher was refleding on- this extraovdU 
nary petition, there blew a gentle wind through the 
trap-door, v/hich he at firft mi (look for a gale of ze- 
phyrs, but afterwards found it to be a breeze of 
fighs : they fmelt ftrong of flowers and incenfe, and 
were fucceeded by moft paflionate eomplaiats of 



S4 T*HE PLEASING LIBRAR#^ 

■ '"^''^ 

wounds arid torment, fire and arrows, cruelty, defpair, 
and^-death. Mennipus fancied that fuch lamentable 
cries arofe from feme general execution, or from 
wretches lying under the torture ; but Jupiter told 
him, they came to him from the ifle of Paphos, and 
that he every day received complaints of the fame 
nature from that whimfical tribe of mortals who are 
called Lovers. I am fo trifled v/ith, fays he by this 
generation of both fexes, and find it fo impoffible to 
pleafe them, whether I grant or refufe their petitions, 
that I fhall order a weflern wind for the future to in- 
tercept them in their pailage, and blow them at ran- 
dom upon the earth. 

The laft petition I heard was from a very aged- 
man, near a hundred years old, begging but for one 
year more of life, and then promifed to die contented. 
This is the rareft old fellow, fays Jupiter; he has made 
this prayer to me for kbove twenty years together. 
When he was but fifty years old he defired only that. 
he might live to fee his fon fettled in the world ; I 
granted it. He then begged, the fame favor for his 
daughter, and afterwards that he might fee the edu- 
cation of a grandfon. When all this was brought a- 
bout, he put up a petition that he miglit live to fin- 
iih a houfe he was building. In fliort, he is an un- 
reafonable old cur, and never v/ants an excufe ; I will 
hear no more of him, Upon which he fiung down the 
trap-door in a paiTion, and was refolved to give na 
more audience that day. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 5f ' 

Notwithftanding the levity of this fable, the moral 
of it very well deferves our attention. The vanity of 
men's wifhes, which are the natural prayers of the 
mind, as well as many of cKofe fecret devotions which 
they oiFer up to the Supreme Being, are fufficiently 
expofed by it. Among other reafons for fet forms of 
prayer, I have often thought it a very good one, that 
by tins means the folly and extravagance of men's de- 
fires may be kept within due bounds, and not break 
out in abfurd and ridiculous petitions on fo great and 
folemn an occafion. 



t 
On GHOSTS AND APPAIinTONS. 
— ^_ 

When apparitions iill the mind* 

The foul's unnerv*d aad reafon*8 blmd. 



I 



REMEMBER laft v/inter there were- 
feveral young girls of the neighbourhood fitting about 
the fire with.m.y landlady's daughters, and telling fto- 
ries of fpirits and apparitions. Upon my opening the 
door, the young women broke oiF their difcourfe : but 
my landlady's daughter telling them that it was no 
body but the gentleman, (for that is th^ name I go by 
in the neighbourhood, as well as in the family) they 
went on without minding me. I feated myfelf by the 
candle that flood on. a table at one end of the room |- . 



5S THE I*LEASIHG LIBRAHY. 

and pretending to read a book that I took out o£ ifif 
pocketj heard feveral dreadful (lories of ghods as pale 
as afhes that had flood at the foot of a bed, or walked 
over a church-yard by moonlight ; and of Others that 
had been conjured into the Red- Sea, for diilurbing 
people's reft, and drawing their curtains at midnight ; 
with many other old wbmen's fables of the like nature. 
As one fpirit raifed another, I obferved that at the end 
of every (lory the whole company clofed' their ranks, 
and crowded about the fire. I took notice, in partic- 
ular, of a little boy, who was fo attentive to every fto-- 
ry, that I am mlftaken if he ventures to go to bed by 
himfelf thefe twelve months. Indeed they talked fo- 
long, that the imaginations of the wfoleaflembly were 
minlfeftly crazed, and I am fure will be the worfe for 
it as long as they live, I heard one of the girls, that 
had looked upon me over her flioulder, aiking the 
Gompany how long I had been in the room, and wheth- 
er I did not look paler than I ufed to do. This put 
me under fome a?pprehepiions that I fhould be forced 
.to explain myfelf, if I did not retire ; for which reafon 
I took the candle in my hand^ and went up into my 
chamber, not without wondering at this unaccountable- 
weaknefs in reafonable creatures, that they fliould love 
to^ aftoaiih and terrify one another. Were I a father, 
I fliouid take pardcuiar care to preferve ray children 
from thefe little horrors of imagination which they are 
apt to contraa when they are young, and are not able 
to ihake off when they are in years. I have known a. 
foldier that has entered a breach, affrighted at his own 
fhadov, and look pale at a little fcratching at his door, 
who the day before had marched up againil a battery 



TH£ PLEASING LIBRx\R'Y. 



59 



.of cannon. There are inftances of perfons who have 
been terrified even to diftradlon at the figure of a tree, 
or the fliaking of a bull-rufh. The truth of it is, I look 
upon a found imagination as thegreattft bkffir:g of life, 

^next to a clear judgment and a good conic ici.ce. In 
the mean time, fince there are very few whofe minds 
are not more or lefs fubjed to thefe dreadful thoughts 
and apprehenfions, we ought to arm ourfelves againft 
them by the dilates of reafon and religion, te pull the 
pld 'woman out cfour hearts, and.extinguifh thofe imper- 
tinent notions which we imbibed at a time when ^v^ 
were not able to judge of tlieir abfurdity. 



To BEGIN NOTHING of which YOt; have not 

WELL CONSIDERED THE END. 
"^ 

Think well, ere you refolve; weigh each event, 
.JLeft, when too late, in forrow you repent. 

A CERTAIN Cham of Tartary going a 
progrefs with his nobless was m^et by a Dervife, who 
cried with a loud voice, Whoever ivill give me an hun- 
dred pieces of gold y I ^v ill give him apiece of advice. The 
Cham ordered him the fum : upon which the Dervife 
faid, Begin nothing of^hich thou hajl not ^ell conjidered 
the end. 

The courtiers, upon hearing this plain fentence, fmiL 
ed, and fal J with a fiieer^ '' The Dervife is well paijji 



cAo THE I^LEASING LIBRARY, 

vfor his maxim.'' But the King was fo well fatisfie4 
with the anfwer,that he ordered it to be- written in gol- 
den letters in feveral-placesof his palace, and engraved 
^n all his plate. Not long after, the King's furgeon 
v/as bribed to kill him with a poifoned lancet at the 
time he let him blood. One day, when the King's 
arm was bound, and the fatal lancet in the furgeon's 

'■ hand, he read on the bafon, Begin notki:?^g of 'which thou 
haji 7iot ijoell co?2jidcred the end. — He immediately ftarted, 

. and let the lancet fall out of- his hand. The King ob- 
ferved his confufion, and inquired the reafon : the fur- 

; geon fell proftrate, confeiTed the whole affair, and was 
pardoned,and the confpirators died. The CharnWixn"' 
ed to his courtiers who heard the advice with con- 

; tempt, told them, " That counfel could not be too 
much valued which had faved a King's life." 

,-ADVENTUPvES OF A FAMILY ..BIBLE. 



'PART I. 



V. 



ARIOLTS have been the adventures 
of beings and things, not more important than my- 
felf, which have been obtruded on the public r and 
therefore Ihoperny ilory will be heard'^^ith patience.; 
it ihali be as concife as polfible — en^elliihment would 

ill become me. 
» 
I was produced to light in the reign of James I, and 

being a new tranflation of an excellent original work^j 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 6i 

whi«h without boafting I may fay is of divine author- 
, Jty, I was foon received into a worthy family, confift- 
ing of a venerable couple, and two fons and a daughter. 
The old people ufed to make their children read me 
every funday, and at other times, when they could find 
leifure. Their own eyes began to fail them ; but they 
conftantly llftened to me, and commented to their fam- 
ily on my beauties, and enforced the obfervance of m^y 
unerring precepts. 

In this fociety I was much valued. I was hand^ 
fomely bound, and ornamented with filver clafps. The 
names and ages of the young people were infcrlbed in 
my front : I was indeed the depofitory of the family 
fecrets ; and when the father died, he left me to his 
only daughter. 

She had then reached the twentieth year of her age. 
For fome time after the lofs of her parent, flie referred 
to me for confolation y but, alas ! Im^prefTions of fcr- 
row are foon effaced from the youthful heart. Iler's 
gave place to a new favorite. An officer in the arm-.y 
paid his addrelTes to her : they were foon married ; and 
though I was not difcarded from the houfe, for more 
^han twelve years my clafps were fcarcely opened. 

The war breaking out between Charles and hispar- 
.;.;m.ent, the hufband of my oviier was called on duty. 
He f^arjn for his King, and iell at the battle of Edge- 
Hill. My millrcfs was inconf()]able fc^r-liis lofs ; aiul 
began to ihink of me. Once move I afiifled in drying 
hcv tears. I told her ihey v^(.\xid meet again, ^lih 



^'^ THE PXEASING LIBRAR4^ 

hope was balm to her wounded fpfrit— She kiffe^ me 
with rapture ; and during the remainder of her Hfe 

took mc for her inftruclor and guide. 

It happened, that in the fueceeding interval of cpn- 
fuflon, the property of my firil: poiTeffor's family came 
into difpute. The regifter of a birth ,was wanting to 
complete the title 5 and in the reign of Charles II. I 
was fortunately thought of as being likely to afford 
fbme family records. — I was brought into a court of 
juftice, where I am feldom quoted, thoug'h often kifTed. 
My evidence was admitted^— and I feit happy in being 
inftrumental in ferving the defcendants of my firll 
mafter. 

For fome time after I knew not what became of-m^* 
I was fo little ufed that I fell into a trance : when I 
recovered, I found myfelf in the hands of a puritan ; 
from whom Ilearned, that none of my brethren had 
been much in vogue for many years ; that fomething 
called HuDiBRAs had been more efteemed ; and my 
prefent mafter talked of nothing but the profanation 
^hat had been offered me, and the indignities I had 
imdergone. He, indeed, did not give me leave to 
ileep ; I was conftantly on. his table; and being a 
preacher, he took me every Sunday up into the pulpit 
with him, and beat me with violence againft the cuih- 
iofi. At this period, I certainly received a great Ihare 
of external homage ; but from fome things I obferved 
in private, I had reafon to conclude that my advice 
\vas much more talked of than valued — for I am of np 
fta ; but the friend, the comfc^ter of all. 



i 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. ^J 

Had not my frame been ftrong, the puritan would 
lave, perhaps, been my laft mafter ; but 1 flood his 
rough ufage without much injury ; and as I knew he 
did not mean to hurt me, I neither murmured nor com- 
plained. Many have been killed with kindnelli ; but it 
is fo plealant a kind of death, that few would refufe it» 

Here I niuft paufe for breath ; and If you wllh to. 
h^ar me I will refurae my (i?bry. 



A- 



PART !J, 



,T the d^ceafe of the puritsin, I was put 
I7p to fale in a lot with Timnas Jgimias^ and fome maa* 
ufcripts againft Popery, A Jefuit cafting his eye on 
my compai>ions wifhed to be the purchafer, that he 
might have an opportunity of deftroying t'he hnpioiis 
and heretical writings that oppofed the holy See. The 
poor manufcripts had no quarter — they w^ere imme- 
diately committed to the flames ; and Enghih being- 
little fhort of herefv, in my new mafter's opinion, I 
believe I was faved rather out of regard to my bind- 
ing than my contents. Tho??ias Aqiitnas^ however, 
was treated witli great diftindlion ; and for the fii;fl 
time I found, that the works of man were more val- 
ued than thofe of his Maker. I had fome hopes that 
I might have been able to infufe a fpark of Chrillian 



64 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

charity into the Jcfult's heart 5 but the authority of. 
the church, in his fight, was more imperative than 
that on which it is pretended to be founded. I was at' 
bePr negleded, till a young fellow who occafionaliy uf- 
ed to difpute with my owner againft .Religion in gen- 
eral, taking a fancy to my exterior, and under (landing 
no language lave that in which I was printed, receiv- 
ed me as a prefent — probably in the hopes that I might 
have a chance of converting him to Chridianity — and 
then the Jefult might with more facility give him ZvV- 
^^rn preilion of it. 

Alas ! in the hands of this, new and reprobate maf- 
t :r, I experienced not only neglect but infult. I was 
:.v/er opened, but to be turned into ridicule among 
his free-thinking companions; but as free-thinking 
generally leads to free-adion — drunkennefs, and every 
fpecies of debauchery, fooa fet me free from the ty- 
ranny of this impious poffeffor — He early fell a 'mar- 
tyr to his irregularities; and In his lad moments feem- 
cd to wlfii to fliew m:! fomt marks of his contrition ; 
but found timi too fh 3rt to be fatisSed, of my celeftial 
comforts. 

His mother was a worthy old woman ; and as I 
had belonged to a fiivorite, though an ungracious fon, 
ilie was vaiUy fond of me, as a relid : but I mufl do 
her the juftice to fay, that ihe lived according to my 
lilies ; and left the world in peace ; firmly relying on 
the profpefls which I held out in another ft ate. 

From this old lady, I pafTed into the hands of h^j;: 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 63 

waiting-maid, with a ftrldl injundlion to attend to me, 
and to be a good girl. For fome weeks I was not a 
little carefTed : wherever love or marriage was men- 
tioned, I was fure to be read ; and I was indeed con- 
fulted as an oracle in all that relates to what this world 
calls pleafures. It was foon found, however, that I 
gave no fandion to the irregular Tallies of the heart, to 
a perverfe dilpofition, or a deceitful conduci: ; and there- 
fore I foon ceafed to pleafe. The laft and lowed vice 
that can degrade woman— a propenfity to 'tippling, in 
a fliort fpace made it convenient for Al)igail to pawn 
me. I was wrapped up in a petticoat ; and, together, 
we were received as pledges for a guinea. A com^ 
mentator on the fcriptures, many months after, paffing 
the fliop where I lay unredeemed; turned his attention 
towards me ; I appeared of a fize fit for his purpdfe,. 
and was bought a great bargain. 

None of thofe who had hitherto ufed me had 
thotight of foiling me; but I was now filled with 
marginal notes and explanatlon-s. My light was fre- 
quently turned into darknefs ; and thofe -expreifioiis 
which themoft ignorant might have underllood, were 
loft in a cloud of erudition, and tortured into rnearv- 
ings which even the wlfeft could not have compre- 
hended. • How ridicLilous is the pride of human learn- 
ing when applied to biblical Illuilration ! Can it be 
fuppofed that my divine Author v/ould have left any 
doubt or difficulty in his ov/n injuncftlons ; or given a 
chance to none but the learned to underftaud what li^ 

has commanded all to nradlfe ? 
F z 



66 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

During fome years it was the chief purfuit of this 
teamed gentleman to ftudy me, and confound my 
meaning ; or what was worfe, to wrell it to his own 
pre-concelved opinions. He was, however, confcien- 
tlous in what he did : he was Winded by his own im- 
aginary fagacity— and as a monument of his labors, 
bequeathed me, at his death, to the college library to 
which he had formerly belonged. 

I was admitted here with great formality — was de- 
pofited in a fine latticed cafe, among many of my 
brethren ; and for fome time was occafionally con- 
fulted : but novelty wearing off, and my commenta- 
tor's hand, by the lapfe of years, and the different form 
of writing, becoming too cramp to be eafily made out 
—-for the laft hundred years I have feldom been open- 
ed. The dud, indeed, is annually bruflied off; at the 
Vifitation of the library, I am. fometimes reported as 
lull of old-fa(hioned commcats ; but few have the cu- 
riofity to, examine them. 

From this afylum I have neither wifh or hope of be- 
ing liberated : I truft I have already done my duty, 
iind have made fome perfons better and wifer in af- 
fairs of everlafling importance- — and if my hiftory 
fliould fail to amufe or inflrudl, I fliall feel neither 
inoniiication or anger. 

The prejudices of men it was never rny intention to 
gratify, nor to flatter their paffions ; but happy are 
they, who entering into my benevolent viewS; lay hoW 
en my eternal rewards. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 6t 



OMNISCIENCE and OMNTIPRESENCE of the 
DEITY, THE SOURCE of CONSOLATION 

TO GOOD MEN. 



I 



~^- 



WAS yefterday, about fun-fet, walking 
in the open fidds, till the night infenfibly fell upoa 
me. I at firlt amufed myfelf with all the rlchnefs 
and variety of colors, which appeared in the weftern 
parts of heaven. In proportion as they faded away 
and went out, feveral ftars and planets appeared one 
after another, till th'C whole firmament was in a glow. 
The bluenefs of the ether was exceedingly heightened 
and enlivened, by the feafon of the year, and the rays 
of all thofe luminaries that paffed through it. The 
galaxy appeared in its mod beautiful white. To com- 
plete the fcene, the full-moon rofe, at length, in that 
clouded majefty, which Milton takes notice of ; and 
opened to the eye a new pi<flure of nature, which was 
more finely fhaded, and difpofed among fofter lights, 
than that which the fun had before difcovered to us., 

As I was furveying the moon walking in her bright- 
nefs, and taking herprogrefs among the conftellations, 
a. thought arofe in me, which I believe very often per- 
plexes and difturbs men of ferious and contemplative 
natures. David himfelf fell into it in that refiedion ; 
*< When I confider the heavens, the work of thy fin- 
gers : the moon and ftars which thou haft ordained ; 
what is man that thou art mindful of him^ and thf^ fos; 



of man that thou regajrdell him P' lathe fame maii- 
ner, when I confider^ that infinite hoft of ftars, or, to 
fpeak more philofop^ically, of funs, which were then 
fliining upon me ; >\rith thofe innumerable fets of plan- 
ets or worlds, whj^h were moving round their refpec- 
tive funs ; when I ftill enlarged the idea^ and fuppo- 
fed another heaven of funs and worlds, rifing ftill a^ 
feove this which we difcovered ; and thefe ftill enlight- 
ened by a fuperior firmament of luminaries, which are 
planted at fo great a diftance, that they may appear 
to the inhabitants of the former, as the ftars do to us ; 
in ftiort, while I purfued this thought, T could not but 
refled on that little infignificant figure, which I my- 
felf bore amidft the immenfity of God's works. 

Were the fun, which enlightens this part of the 
creation, with all the hoft of planetary worlds that 
move about him, utterly extinguifhed and annihilated, 
they would not be miffed, more than a grain of fand 
upon the fea-fhore. The fpace they poffefs is fo ex- 
ceedingly little in comparifon of the whole, it would 
fcarcely make a blank in the creation. The chafm 
would be imperceptible to an eye, that could take in 
the whole compafs of nature, and pafs from one end of 
the creation to the other ; as it is poffible there may 
be fuch a fenfe in ourfelves hereafter, or in creatures 
which are at prefent more exalted than ourfelves^ By 
the help of glaffes, we fee many ftars, which we do 
not difcover with our naked eyes ; and the finer our 
telefcopes are, the more ftill are our difcoveries. — 

Huygenlus carries this thpught fofar, that he does not 



THE I^LEASING LIBRARY. ^9^ 

think it Impofflble there may be ftars, whofe light has 
not yet travelled down to us, fmce their fir ft creation.. 
There is no queftion that the univerfe has certain- 
bounds fet to it ; but when we confider that it is the. 
work of infinite Power, prompted by infinite Goodnefs^ 
with an infinite fpace to exert itfelf in, how can our 
imagination fet any bounds to it ? 

To return, therefore, to my firft thought, I could 
not but look upon myfelf with fecret horror, as a being 
that was not worth the fmalleft regard of one who had 
fo great a work under his care and fuperintendency, 
I was afraid of being overlooked amidft the immen- 
fity of nature ; and loft among that infinite variety of 
creatures, which, in ail probability, fwarm through aH 
thefe immeafuraWe regions of. matter. 

In order to recover myfelf from this mortifying 
thought, I confidered that it took its rife from thofe 
narrow conceptions, which we are apt to entertain of 
the Divine nature. We ourfelves cannot attend to 
many different obje<5ls at the fame time. If we are 
careful to infped fome things, we muft of courfe neg,- 
led others. This imperfedion which we obferve in 
ourfelves, is an imperfedion that cleaves, in fome de- 
gree, to creatures of the higheft capacities, as tliey are 
creatutes, that is, beings of finite and limited natures. 
The prefence of every created being is confined to a 
certain meafure of fpace ; and confequently his obfer- 
vation is ftinted to a certain number of obje6ls. The 
fphere in which we move, and a(ft, and underftand, i^. 
of a wider circumference to one creature, than auoth? - 



7<> THE^ PIs]|A5IN0 WBR;AP<¥. 

er, according as we rife one above another in the ftair 
of exiftance. But the wldeft of thefe our fpheres has 
its circumference. When, therefore, we refled: on the 
Divine nature, we are fo ufed and accuftomed to this 
mip^rfedlion in ourfelves, that we cannot forbear, in 
forne meafurej afcribing it to him, in whomthere is no 
fliadow of imperfection. Our reafon indeed allures us, 
that his attributes are infinite ; but the poornefs o£ 
our conceptions is fuchj that it cannot forbear fetting 
bounds to every thing it contemplates, till our reafon- 
eomes again to our fuccor, and throws down all thofe 
little prejudices, which rife in us unawares, and are 
natural to the mind of ffiam 

We Aall therefore utterly esctingmfli thi.s melancholy 
thought? of our being overlooked by our Maker, in 
the multiplicity of his works, and the infinity of tlwk 
objefts among which fee feems to be inceffantly em- 
ployed, if we confider in the firft place, that he is om^ 
niprefeut ; and in the ftcond, that he is omnifcient. 

If we cor/ider him m his omniprefence, his being 
pafles through, at^uatq^s^ andfupports, the whole frame 
of nature. His creation, and every part of it, is full 
of him. There is nothing he has made, t^iat is either 
fo diilant, fo little or fo inconfiderahle, which he does, 
not efTentlally inhabit. His fubftance is within the 
fubftance of every being, whether material or imma- 
terial, and as intimately prefent to it, as that being is 
to Itfelf. It would be an imperfecllon in him, were 
he able to move out of one place into another ; or to 
withdraw himfclf from any thipg he has. created, ot 



THE TfLEASl'NO LIBRAUY. ^I 

from any part of that fpace which he diffufed and fpread 
' abroad to infinity. In fhort, to fpeak of hirn in the 

language of the old philofophers, he is a being whofe 
>x:entre is every where, and his circumference no where. 

In the feccnd place, he is omnifcient aswell as cm- 
nlprefent. His omnifcience indeed neceFarily and 
naturally flows from his omniprefence. He cannot 
but be confcious ofevtry motion that arifes in the 
whole material -world, which he thus eiTentially per- 
vades ; and of every thought that is ftirring in the in- 
,telledual world, to every part of which he is thus inti- 
mately united. Were the foul feparat^e from the body, 
^nd with one glance of thought Ihould ftart beyond the 
bounds of the creation; Ihould it, for millions of years, 
continue its progrefs through infinite fpace, with the 
fame a6livity, it would ftill find itfelf within the em- 
:brace of its Creator, and encompaifed by the imraen- 
iity of the Godhead. 

In this confideration of the Almighty's omnipre- 
fence and omnifcience, every uncomfortable thought 
vanifhes. He. cannot but regard every thing that has 
being, efpecially fucli of his creatures who fear they 
are not regarded by him. He is privy to all their 
thoughts, and to that anxiety of heart in particular, 
which is apt to trouble them on this OQcafion ; for, as 
it is impofTible he fhould overlook any of his creatures, 
fo we may be confident that he regards, with an eye 
of mercy, thofe who endeavor to recommend them- 
felves to his notice ; and, in unfeigned humility of 
heart, think themfelves unworthy tliat he ihould l>e 
mindful of thpii^. 



a THE PLEASmO LIBRARY. 

*The CREATOR'S WORKS attest his 
GREATNESS. 

Jl HE fpacious firmament on high, 
With all the blue etherial iky, 
And fpangled heav'ns, a fhining frame. 
Their great Original proclaim ; 
Th' unwearied fun, from day to day, 
Does his Creator's powV difplay, 
And publiihes to ev'ry land, 
The work of an Almighty hand. 

Soon as the ev'nir.g fhades prevail, 
The moon takes up the wond'rous tale. 
And, nightly, to the lill'ning earlh. 
Repeats the ftory of her birth : 
-Whilft all tlie ftars that round her burn. 
And all the planets in their turn, 
Confirm the tidings-as they roll, 
Andfpread»the truth from pole to pole. 

What though, in folemn fiience, ail 
Move round the dark terreftriai ball ! 
'What tlio' no real voice nor found, 
Amid the radiant orbs be founds 
In Reafon's ear ibcy all rejoice, 
And utter forth a s^i^lonous voice, 
For ever finging as they fhinc, 
*■■ The hand that made us h: divine.*^' 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY, 



On aerial CASTLE-BUILDING. 

'lie dreams of riches, grandeur, and a crown ; 
^He wakes, and finds himfelf a fimple clown. 



A] 



-^- 



XNASCHAR was a very idle fellow, 
that never would fet his hand to any bufinefs ' during 
^hls father's life. When his father died^ he left him to 
the value of an hundred drachmas in Perjian monQj^ 
Alnafcbar^ in order to make the heft of it, laid it out 
in glafTes, bottles, and the fineft earthen Ware. Thefe 
he piled up in a laiige open bafket, and having made 
-choice of a very littk ihop, placed - die bafket at his 
feet, and leaned his back againft the wall, in ex'pcda- 
tion of cuftomers. As he fat in this pofture, with his 
eyes upon the bafket, he fell mto a inoft iimufmg train 
of thought, and was overheard by one of his neigh- 
bours, as he talked to himfelf, in the following man- 
ner : <'This bafket, fliys he, coft me at the wholefale 
merchant's an hundred drachmas, which is' all I have 
in the world. I ihall quickly make two hundred of it, 
by felling it in retail. Thefe tv/o hundred drachmas 
will in a very little time rife to four hundred, which 
of courfe will amount in time to four thoufand. Four 
thoufand drachmas cannot fail of making eight thou- 
fand. 

As ^ccw as by this means I am mafter of ten thou- 
•ian4, 1 w\\\ lay afide my trade as a glafrnian, and turn 



t4 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

jeweller. I fiiall then deal in diamonds, pearls, atiS 
all forts of rich ftones. When I have got together as 
much wealth as I can defire, I will make a purchafe 
of the iineft houfe I can find, w^th lands, flaves, eu- 
nuchs andhorfes. Iftali then begin to enjoy myfelf, 
and make a noife in the world. I will not, however, 

.flop there, but continue my traffic tilf I have got to- 
gether^ an hundred thoufand drachmas. When I have 
thus made rayfelf matter of an hundred thoufand 
drachmas, I fhall naturally f€t'myf(rff'en the foot of a 
prince, and will demand the Grant! Vizier's daugfiter 
in marriage, after hanngfeprefented to that minifter 
the information wliieh I::kLave received of the beauty, 
wit, difcretion, and other high qualities which his 
daughter poffefles. I will let; him know, at the fame 
time, that it is my intention to make him a.prefcnt of a 
thoufand pieces of gold on cmv marriage night. As 
ibon as I have married the Grand Vizi^r'^s daughter, I 
^vill buy her ten black .^upucjis, the youngeft and beft 
that can be got for money. I muft afterwards make 
my father-in-law a vifit ^ith a great train and equip- 
age. An^ when I am placed at his right, hand, w^hich 
he will do in courfe, if it be only to honor his daugh- 
ter, I will give him the thoufand pieces of gold which 
Ipromifcdhim ; and afterwards to his great furprife, 
Twill prefent him with another purfe of the fame value, 
with feme fhort fpeech ; as. Sir, you fee I arn a man 

of my <wonI, I al-ways give moretkan I promife. 

*' When I have brought the princefs to my houfe,! 
fliall take particular care to breed in her a due refped 
.forrpe, before I give the reins to love and dallianeQr 



THE PLEASING LIBRARV. ^5* 

Tb this end I fliall confine her to her own apartment, 
make her a fhort vrfit, and talk but little to her. Het 
women will reprefenc to me that fhe is inconfolable hj 
reafon of my unkindnefs, and beg me 'with tears to ca- 
refs her, and let her fit down by me; but I w411 ftill 
temain inexorable, and will turn my back upon her all 
the fir ft night. Her motLrer will then come and bring 
her daughter to- me, as I am feated on my fofa^ The 
daughter^ with tears in -her eyes, will fling herfclf at 
my feet, and beg of me to ret:eiv-e.-h'er mu> my fyivox',v 
Thea will I, to imprmt ia her a tlaOTOugh vci;.trii'- 
tion for my pcrfon, draw t^ mj leg, and fpurn her 
from me with my foot in fuch a manner, that fhe flaall 
fall di^wB fcvieral pace^ from the fofa/' 

Alnafchar was entirely; iwallowed uJ) in this chimer- 
ical viiion, and could not forbear acting with his foot 
-wliat he had in his thoughts : fo that imluckily ilrik- 
mg his bafkct of brittle ware, which ^wras the founda- 
tion of all his grai^deur, h£ Mclced his glaffes to a 
great diAmcc from him- into the ftreet, and broke 
them into ten thoufand pieces. 

This is a humorous ridicule upon the foolifh- vanity 
of building caftles in the air, and idly wafting that time 
in empty flattering fchemes, which might have beejj 
ll&fully employed in attending our proper buiinefs. 



$^ THI. PLEASINGLIBR^RY. 



The absent MAN. 



Mr. THOUGHTFUJL, having devoted^ 
his early days to ftndy, became literally fo wrapt Up 
with his ideas as to be frequently infeniible of what 
was faid- or doing. His anfwers have been often inco- 
herent and ftrange ; his actions equally wonderful and 
unaccountable. His father foon repented of having 
left him. fo long at college; or fuffered him, when 
young, to apply his tnind incefTantly to learning : for^ 

that 

" A, little knowledge is a dapgcrouft thing," 

is the affertioa of a much-admired poet, who confe- 
quently exhorts all votaries to learning, 

«« To drink deep^ or tafte not th« Pierian §>ring.*' 
But hereis a fad proof that a man mzy drink Joo 
deep, or indeed y^ deep as to intoxicate his brain, and 
become as ftupid and difagreeable as one that is total- 
ly ignorant. 

The father was now deter.m^ned to provide a wife 
for his fon — in hopes that a woman might rouze him 
from, his lethargy — ^mjght awaken him from this pro- 
found ftupor; and.by amufmg his perplexing thoughts, 
give him fome life and animation. 

The father, according to. his defign , having fixed 
bis eye upon a young lady in the neighbourhood, 
watched an opportunity of hinting the matter to his 
fon. 



THE FLEASING LIBRARY. 77 

Toung Thoughtful, who had been now fent by the 
houfekeeper to defire to know how his father wiflied 
the goofe to be dreft — appeared in a very mufmg pof- 
ture : 

" I am come,'' fays the fon," to a/k you- 



here he paufed, and began to think on what he had 
come about. 

" I find," cried his father, " that I muft provide 
fomebody to fharpen your memory^ — what think yoTi> 
of a wife, Charles? perhaps fhe may quicken your 
rccoUedion.'' 

" A wife ! A w^oman !''■ 

"Aye, a fine young girl.'' 

" Otway, I think, was divided in his opinion ; — in 
one of his plays he fays "We would be brutes without 
her ;" — in another, he calls her " the fountain oPall 
human frailty ;"— for my part I muft agree with 
Solon" 

"Plague on Solon, he is not 7?iy fen; I want to 
know if a wife is agreeable — nov/ tell me immediately 
— what do you fay? a. wife is a good difn, boy, for 
your nice appetites^— you are not afi'itkd cf matrimony; 
hey ! — fure it would be impofiible for any woman to 
make a goofe of fuch a fober, wife, young man." ' 

"A goofe 1 "thefon recollecled the dinner, and 

begged to know how he wiihed it to be dreft. 

This being foreign to the fubjecl, provoked the fa- 
ther, and be anfwered him both peevilhly and harflv-.- 
ly — "with fage and onions,'' Ke then refumed hls^ 



73. ^ THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

fubjea, and with fome difficulty procured his- acqmefr:/ 
cen e. The old man was highly delighted with hav- 
ing io far fucceeded, and gave him a twenty pound 
bill to buy cloaths for the occafion — recommending a 
iuit of white and filver, it being, in his opiiiion^ the fit- 
teil to celebrate a w^edding, and the moft becoHiing for: 
SI bridegroom. 

^^ But," exclaimed the father,. ^* how would yoU; 
wiih to be dreffed ?" 

The fon ft arted— -looked foolifJir— coughed — mi 

cried." eh!" 

"How would you wifh to b^ dreffed ?" 
A long paufe now. At laft, the fon echoing " dr^f-: 
fed/' a^d the father anfwered «' yes," he replied, " oh,,,^, 
father as you do~as you do, {nthQV'-'wit^fage a^id pniom.'' 

The old gentleman was exafperated at this replyi 
and was obliged to repeat all he had faid before, for th^ 
better comprehenfion of his fon. At laft, having, as 
he thought, recovered his recoUedtion, he now left him , 
in a greater labyrinth than even.^ 

When alone, the vrife entered" into Ws head, and, 
fe ': me d to afford hirr\ fome temporary pleafure. He 
intended to go and fee her. The houfekeeper met him,;; 
and begged to know hov/ the goofe was to be dreffed. 

"Dreffed, oh, in white and filver ; that's my fa^ 

ther's.wifh." 

He now went out, but forgetting his hat, wasoblig- 
ei to return ; then anxious to fee a friend of his, whp , 
was a ftud^nt at Cambridge; he wrote a. few lines— »^ 



THE PLEASING LIBRART/ ^ 

folded ap the letter to put in the Poft-Offiee, but for* 
got to feal it — Then thinking of his miftrefs, he dire<ru 
ed the letter to her, inftcad of his friend. Away he 
goes — firft direding his fteps to the Poft-OfficC) and 
when half way — .turning back to fee his mi ft re fs — - 
then backwards and forwards ; — once indeed he went 
a mile beyond his miftrefs' houfe ; — then returning ia. 
a great hurry, forgot to ftop where fhe lived. Atlaft. 
he reached the Poft-Offtce, merely- by chance — the let- 
ter box reminded him of his intention ; but inftead of 
throwing in th^ letter,, he threw in the twenty pound 
bill, which was topurchafehimcloaths ; then bending^ 
his courfe again to his miftrefs' houfe, he was ftopped-. 
by a beggar woman,, v^ho craved charity ; the young ^ 
man ftopped too, and informed her it was paft two q' 
clock : thus did he run about, without aafwering any ^ 
purpofe, or doing thje le^ft good.. 

By means of the father^ indeed, the mamage took 
place ; yet, tlie bridegroom was fo abfent, that he 
mads a ^^xj mal-a-pr-opos reply to the chaplain, during^ 
the ceremony. They all came home to Mr. Thought- 
fiil's houfe : the old gentleman gave up his chamber 
to the bride and bridegroom, but the young gentleman- 
forgetting this, happened unfortunately to go to his 
own bed, and the poor bride was- entirely forfaken. . 
The father brought his abfent fon to arecolledion of 
his duty ; he arofe and dreffed himfelf, but forgetting; 
the moft material part of his covering, made fuch aa. 
awkward appearance before his fair one, as fliQck^d. 
hex not a little.. 



*> THE PLiASWG LIBRARY. 

- , We are not at liberty to proceed m the mlftakes of 
this abfent man. Suffice it to fay, that his wife in due 
time recalled his recolledion, and young Thoughtful 
feecaipe more Confiftent. 

Singular MEMOIRS of PAT. O'CONNOR. 

JL AT. G^Connor, who never boafted of 
his faniily, as they had been ^11 buried in obfcurityj^ 
having experienced the many heart-aches of being out 
of employ, and fometimes the many beilyfulls of being 
in a good fervice, after this round of ups and downs,* 
at lad engaged himfelf with a^ Engliih gentleman at 
Cork, who was now about leaving Ireland. The 
thoughts of quitting the dear land of faints, operated 
very much upon the heart of our hero, and forrpw be- 
Qoming dry, he applied himfelf frequently to a good 
glafs of whifkey, which, ihortly removed his grief. 

The day for departure came — ^^Pat. took leave of his 
friends and country ; while his conje&ires on his nev/ 
mafter engaged his prefent thoughts. 

He foon became acquainted v/ith London, as well 
as thq. intrigues and roguery of his employer, who 
having been the fon of a late refpedtable citizen, tho't 
he could never fpend a fmall fum that had. been left 
him too foon or extravagantly. 

A young lady near Windfor htfWng attracted his 
UPtkiP, he was refolved, In his general phi^afe, to hav^ 



THE PLEASING UJBRARr. S.c 

'hsr^ notwithftanding fhe had already teftificd her difap- 
probatlon of his addrefles, as well as her diflike to his 
perfon : rhis, however, inftead of difcouraging, pro- 
voked ourvolatile.youth, to meditate adefign of ruin- 
ing her ; for, though his partiality for ladies was great, 
yet marriage feldojn entered his head. 

Her unele, with whom fhe lived, being a ftrange 
chara<5leT, that received the. company of every one who 
boafted of his parentage and lineage, he deemed it an 
eafy tafk to ingratiate himfelf in his favor; to accom- 
piiili this, however, he dared not acknowledge himfelf" 
the fon of a citizen, as that would totally mar his de- 
figns, and defeat his purpofe with the old geatleman— 
He was therefore refolved to drefs up Pat. O'Connor 
in grea| ftyle, and introduce him aa an Irifii baronet, 
being his fuppofed uncle, whom he intended to inftrudt, 
and enable to puff off his unknown family. The pro- 
jedt delighted poor Pat. who was highly pleafed with 
the thoughts of becoming a gentleman. He promifed 
to expatiate upon the excellence of his birth, and in- 
form this uncle of the large eftate which hq would 
give him. The day was accordingly fixed — An ap- 
pointment made with Mr. Primftiff, and Pat. was ih- 
troduced as a man of confequence and fortune. 

The mock hero now ftrutted about v/ith affumed 
ftate and airs-the old gentleman, on account of his fup- 
pofed rank, received him with the greateft cordiality^ 
and begged to know who the young gentleman's fa- 
ther was. 

" Why my bFCther,'' cries Pat. " my brother, do ye 
fte — ^was a very good fort of a gentleman, but not aU . 



In tHE PLEASING LIBRARYr 

te^gether as handfome as me.''— « And, pray Sir, wli^t 
fortune do you intend to give your nephew..^** 

" What fortune-r-^why faith-^ and troth, honey, it's: 
hard for me to fay when I don't Jcnow the extent of it 
myfelf."— 

** Is it in landsy Sif ?^' 

*' Lands— oh, aye — it's in, the caomh-^^^xt PcfttlehoU-^^ 
111 give him a bit of the //^^r/^-^a fcrap or two o£. 
Meath'fireet — a few yard^ of DSnnyhraoky and*' — 

*' Wbjy, Sir^ I aever heardlof fuah eftates^" 

*^ No-— tiea joii ware acrcr m fecet Dailia.** 

**"I hliv^ Seard m.WLj' ■ txpiitiiite va^tm its bcamdics i - 
iud^^d, from the traV'sUer^i* acccwiat, one loaay bs apt . 

am& imd honey.'* 

** Milk aai liiMiej 5**'^ exclaims Pact. . ** Oli ! ^teaey» .. 
oil ! that's a iiiagnslar Bmoa audoid^— why . jtm. jnacaa.. 

mHi. mii^Ut^u^ jcm fx^l !'* 

The faimUaritf ©f uaiaies did not Jigrce with the , 
family pride of the old g^jatlemaxi ; »f z^-^-^t^ qaar- 
xei eafiiedi Pat, fweidiag hy St»^ Patrick he was as 
g^od as he J aind^ ia order to^roTC it^ .called out for 
Ills mafter.— 

The fotind ^f ;;z^<fr *akrine4ithe old gentleman,., 
but it did aot in the leafl cotifotmd Fat. who recoUed:- 
ing himfelf, put it off with — " Why, aye, did not Ttell . 
you .1 would .make him matter of the Goomh and-aPiJif,^: 



4 
THE PLEASING LIBRAI^. -^j 

Yhe maftcr appeared, and as his fervant was genets 
^'ly^oing beyond bounds, he apph'ed a fly pinch in or- 
der to remind him of his 4uty — Pat. gave a fudden 
roar, and fwore in-a terribk manner, if he did that 
again he would divulge all. 

" All what?" cries the "uncle. 

*' Why what's that to you ?" -rejoins Pat. ^* muft 
70U know every thing, you old rogue V* 

" Rogue ! — Sir, confider my family.''-- — - 

It was with tlie greateft difficulty the young gentle- 
: man could reftore peace and harmony, which at laft 
he did, by affuring him that in his country, Rogue 
was an appellation of honor. 

"Oh yeji," exclaims Pat. "we gentkmen are all 
rogues — but fcarch the world through, there are not 
more honeft rogues than the fons of Tipperary." 

The laft fcheme was to deceive the young lady- 
Pat, was informed, thathe muft perfonate a chaplain, 
in order to give a mock ceremony, that Mifs might be 
deluded by a fuppofed prlvatcmarriage. Our Irilh 
hero was Irft alone to confider, and feeing the young 
lady at a diftance, flew to meet her,, and difcovered 
the whole defign. 

•« He wants to rpake a gentleman In black of me, 
honey, but may the black gentleman feize me, if I 
wrong fo much innocence." — 

By this honeft confeffion, the young lady's honot* 
^w preferved — in token of her grautudeihe ,^erfuad- 



€d her guardian uncle to take Pat. (who was acc(5r3-= 

- mgly difmiffed by his mafter) into his fervide, which 
place our Ton of Tipperary ftill retains, being honored 

• hj: all his fellow-fervants, both for his birt/; and linea'gs. 

An odd way of BARGAINING for a WIFE. 

— ^ — 

JM.ERC ATOR, who went originaiiy from 
Xondon, acquired a fortune in the iiland of Jamaica ; 
•he concluded with himfelf he could not be happy iu 
the enjoyment of it, unlefs lie ihared it with a woman 
of merit ; none of his acquaintance in the female line 
fuited his inclination, he therefore determined to write 
for one to his correfpondent in London, through 
whofe means he had obtained his fortune and confe- 

- quence. As he had been fo much verfed in mercan- 
tile matters, the flHe of writing ufual in that way of 
bufniefs ftill adhered to him, therefore treating of love 
as he did of buiuiefs, after giving his correfpondent 
many commiffions, -he referved the foliowang for the 

- iaft, viz. 

I- 

^' Seeing that Ihave taicen a refolution to marry* 
■ and that I do not find a fuitable match for me here, 

• do not fail to fend nie by the next lliip bound hither, 

; a young woman of the qualification and form follow- 
ing : as for a poiLion, I demand none; let her be of 
; an honeft family, bttv/een 20 and 25 years of age, of 
; a middle itature, and well proportioned ; her face a- . 
, iJe. - her temper mild., her charadcr blam^lefii^ 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. g^ 

Jier health good, and her conftitutlon ftrong enough 
to bear the change of the climate, that there may be 
"iio occafion to lock out for a fecond through lack of 
the fir(l, foon after fiie comes to hand; which mud be 
provided againft as much as pofTible, confidering th*t 
great diflance and the dangers of the fea. If ihc ar- 
rives, and conditioned as abovefaid, with the letter in* 
dorfed by you, or at leaft an attefted copy thereof, that 
there may be no miflake or impofition, I hereby ob- 
lige and engage myfelf to fatisfy the faid letter, by 
marrying the bearer at 15 days light. In witnefs 
whereof I fubfcribe this,'&c." 

The London correfpondetit read over and over this 
odd commiflion, which put the future fpoufe on the 
fame footing with the bales of goods he was to fend 
his friend. He neverthelefs complied with this extra- 
ordinary demand, and fired iiis eyes upon a young 
perfon of a reputable family, but no fortune, of good 
humor, who had received a polite education, very well 
made, and more than tolerably handiome. The 
.young lady received the propofal, as flie had no fub- 
fi^encc but from a pettifh old aunt. Equipped with 
neceffaries for the voyage, an extract of the pariili reg- 
ifter, a certificate of her c]iara<5ter figned by the curate, 
a corroborating atteflation of her neighbours, and the 
following article in the invoice, Ihe fet fail in the fame 
fliip with I he other ccm.mlflicned goods : — " Item, a 
maid of 21 ) cars of age, of tlie quality, Ihp.pe, and con- 
dition as per order ; as appears by the affidavits and 

certificates The lias to produce," 
H 



86 THE PLEASING XIBRARY. 

The goodnefs of her conftitution was likewife cerfj« 
fied by four eminent phificians. Letters of advice 
were fent previous to her departure, fo that Mercator 
was in full expectation of her arrival. He was on the 
l9okout when the fhip arrived, was charmed with her 
dillinguiflied beauty, and enquired if flie was the lady 
recommended by his friend. She produced his own 
letter, v-ith this endorfement, '' The bearer of this is 
the perfon you ordered me to fend you." — « Is it fo, 
Madami'' faid Mercator, " I never yet fuifered my bills 
to be protefted, and I fv/ear this fli all not be the firft ; 
I fhall reckon myfelf the happieft of all men^ if you 
will allow me to difcharge it.'' She repHed, « Sir, :! 
am the more willing to do this, as I was apprized of 
your character before I failed, which has heen confirm- 
ed by feveral perfpns of credit on board, who know 
you very well." This interview was followed with am 
almoft immediate celebration of the nuptials, and they 
.are this day the happieft couple in tlie whole ifland* ' 

\ 

::;:;:::^:::XXXX>^<®»'*^°®'XXX><XX:::<----■ 

The, MOUNTx^IN of MISERY.— a vision, 

By outward ihow, 

Men judge of happln-efs and w^e ; 
Ssek virtue— and of that roffjft, 
To Providence rcfign the reft. 



I 



, T Js a celebrated thought of Socrates^ 
Ttliat if all the misfortuBes of mankind were caft into 
a public flock, in order to be equally diftributecj 
among the whole fpecies, thofe who now think them- 
fclves the moft unhappy, would prefer the fliare tliey 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. tj 

s(re already poflefTed of, before that which would fall 
to them by fuch a proper divlfion. Horace has car- 
ried this thought a great deal farther 5 which implies, 
that the hardfliips or misfortunes we lie under, are 
more eafy to us than thefe of any other perfon would 
be, in cafe we fhould change conditions with him- 

As I was ruminating on thefe t\ro remarks, and 
feated in my elbow chair, I infenfibly fell afleep 5 
when, on a fudden, methought there was a proclama- ' 
lion made by Jupiter, that every mortal ftould bring 
ill his griefs and calamitip, and throw them together 
in a he:ip» Therv wjts a large plain appointed M 
this purpofe. I took my ftand in the centre of K and 
faw with a great deal of pleafure the whole human 
fpecies marching one after another, and throwing 
down their feveral loads, which immediately grew iVp 
into a prodigious mountain, thai feemed to rife above • 
the clouds. 

There was a certain lady, of a thin airy fhape; who 
was very adive in this folemnity. She carried a mag- 
nifying glafs in one of her hands, and was clothed in a 
loofe flowing robe embroidered with feveral figures of 
fiends and fpe<flres, that difcovered themfeives in a 
thoufand chimerical fhapes,. as her garment hovered 
in the wind. There was fomething wild and diftrad- 
ed in her looks. Her name was Far/c}'. She led up 
every m*ortal to the appointed place, after having very 
officiouily affifled him in making up his pack, and lay- 
ing it upon his fhoulders. My heart melt«d within 
mo to fee my fellow creatures groaning under their 
refpedive burdens, and to conlider that prodigious 
bulk of human calamitie;^ which lay before me. 



88 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. . 

*rInT'r ''^T' ^^°^^'^^^''>^eYeral perfons who gave m* 
great diverfion upon this occafxon. I obferved o^e 
bnngmg m a farde! very carefully concealed under an 
Old embroidered cloak, which, upon his throwing it 
^pon the heap, I difcovered it to be Poverty. Anoth- 

ll^f Ju!r' '''' °^P"*"S> threw down his lug- 
h a , ^nich, Hpon examining, I found to be his wife. 

whSr.cIltl'T''-'''^^'^''^^^^^^^ ^^'id'-d -i* very 

i-earts wou 11 h t ' *°"^^ '^'^ ^'^''^ ^^^ '^ ^^^^ 
fhey could n..™"^^" ^'^^^ ''""^'« of calamities, 
the hean lu ^u ""^^ themfelves to caft them into 

faint JonsZ fl "^T "P '° " ' "'^"^ ^^"^^^ ^ ^^^ 
heavy W it! "''''^' ^"'^ '"^^^'^^'^ ^-y - 

; The truth of .t ,s, I was furprifed to fee thJ 

greateft part of the mountain made up of bodily de- 
formu.es. Obferving one advance towards the heap 
wuh a larger cargo than ordinary upon hi. back, I 
found upon his nearer approach, that it v.as only a 
naturax Immp which he difpofed of with great joy of 
.an among th.s collection of human mifeis. TlLre 

no. butobferve that there were many more imaginary 

STafl- , "^' P'^^^' ^ '^^"^^ "''^ '^"t take no^ 

fee of, which was a complication of all the difealbs 
.ncdent^o human na.ure, and was in the hand of a 
g.cat many hue people : this v.as called the fpleen. 
But what moft of all furprifed me, was a remark I 
ma Je, that there was not a fingle vice or folly throwQ ] 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 89 

mto'the whole heap : at which I was very much af- 
tonilhed, having concluded within myfelf, that every 
one would take this opportunity of getting rid of his 
paffions, prejudices, and frailties. 

I took notice in particular of a very profligate fel- 
low, who I did not queftion came loaded with his 
crimes; but upon fearching into his bundle, I' found, 
that inftead of throwing his guilt from him, he kad 
only laid down b?s memory. He was followed by 
another worthlefs rogue, who flung away his modefty 
iaftead of his ignorance. 

When the whole race of mankind had thus call 
down their burdens, the Phantmi, which had been fo 
b\ify on this occafion, feeing me an idle fpeclator 01 
what palfed, approached towards me. I grew uneafy 
at her prefence, when on a fudden fhe held her mag- 
nifying glafs full before mine eyes. I nofooner faw my 
face in it, but was ftai'tled at the Ihortnefs of it^ -which 
now appeared to me in the utmicri; aggravation. The 
immoderate breadth of the features made me very 
much out of humour with my own countenance, up- 
on which I threw it from me like a mafk. It happened 
very luckily that one who flood by me had juft before 
thrown down his vifage, which it feems was too long 
for bim. It was indeed ext-ended to a mod fliam.eful 
length! I believe the very chin was, (modeftly fpeakr- 
ing) as long as my Vv^hole face. We had bodi. of ua- 
an opportunity of mending oiirfelves ; and all jlhe con- 
tributions being now brought in, every man was at 
liberty to change liis misfortunes for thofe of anotl-tr 
perfon. But as there arofe many new incidents in the 
fequal, I (hall referve them for the ninety-ninth pap-c, 



9° TH£ PLEASING LIBRARY, ,; 

The haunted HOUSE. 

In a village, fome diftance from town^ 
there lived a refpedlable family, who had once occu- 
pied an adjoining houfe, which, on account of the fre- 
quent knocklngs and difturbances they had heard and 
iwet with therein, they were under the difagreeable 
neceffitv of leaving. Mr. Goodwin, the owner there^ 
of, had inceffantly endeavored to let it, but in vain,, 
the report was too prevalent, and the houfe became a 
iad burthen on his hands ; he had often advertifed it, 
and, indeed, offered it at fo low a rent, that feverat 
were induced to try it. An old foldier, who had more 
than once buffeted all the dangers of war, now beg- 
ged permiffion to lodge in it for a few days upon 
trial, promifmg if it were polTible to inhabit it, that he 
would immediately take a leafe on the terms propofed. 

Pcrmiffion was readily granted for this effay, anc' 
this old follower of Mars, who deemed the whole ftory 
but a mere em.pty report, determined tx) fleepby him- 
felf that night in the houfe ; for which purpofe, he left 
in the day-time loaded piilols, and a broad fword, 
near the room which he intended for his bed-chamber, 
and folaced himfelf with the pleafmg idea of ;Jiaving 
obtained a very comfortable bargain ; having now 
properly fecured the hall door, refolved that there 
fliould be neither egrefs nor ingrefs, except to himfelf, 
. he went to take a fuOicient quantity of float bee?, and 
prepare himfelf for ikeVt^ck. ' 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 9$ 

It was rather late before he returned, and he went 
to bedfomewhat mellow, laughing at all the nonfenfe 
of ghofts, fpirits, and hobgoblins. After a ileep of a- 
bout two hours, a nolfe awoke him : he liftened — and 
lieard a foot afcending the ftairs fo plain, that he tho't 
It expedient to run mto the next room after his piftols; 
accordingly he armed himfelf with two, one in each 
hand, and now on the top of the flairs, he perceived a 
horrid figme, which undauntedly flood before him, 
appaiently very furious, and noddmg with feeming 
anger. 

Our hero repeatedly enquired, who and what he 
.was, whether dead or alive ? but there was no anfwer; 
he then threatened to fire, which fo evidently exafpera- 
ted the figure, that he ftamped feveral times with his 
foot againft the ground, and made fuch a violent noife, 
that the very flair-cafe Ihook with it ; the foldier pre- 
fented and fired, but the figure did not feem at all dif- 
mayed ; on the contrary, he fmiled with difdain ; find- 
ing this without efFe<3, he now difcharged the other, 
which, inflead of intimidating his unknown antagonift, 
rendered him if poflible, more refolute and fierce ; the 
foldier feemed fomewhat furprifed, and apprehended 
that it was neither flefh nor blood, fmce his piftols had 
failed ; however, not willing to remain longer defence- 
lefs, he haftened jfor his (broad fword ; the fpirit par- 
fued'him, and ere he could enter the room where it 
was, gave him fuch a violent blow, as almoft felled 
him to the ground ; as foc^i as he had recovered him- 
felf, for he was very much ftunned, he looked about 
bim, but tlie figure had vaniflied. This event having 



9p» . THl PLEASING LIBRARY. 

taken place in the fummer time, the fun aflForde<J him' 
an early opportunity of looking about ; he went to 
bed again, with the fword in his hand, but being fre- 
quently interrupted with noifes, couid fleep no more. 
Early in the morning he took leave of this haunted 
houfe, and began ferioufly to think on what was p^iffed. 

At breakfaft his friends were very eager to hear the - 
ftrange occurrences of the night, for knowing the blunt 
charader of this man, and his disbelief of ghofts, they. 
could not doubt the veracity of aH he faid : he confef- 
fed there was fomething exceedingly ftrange in the 
bufmefs, and fufficfent indeed to intimidate the moft 
brave, but he was determined to make another at- 
tempt ; he could not imagine that heaven would allow 
the dead ta hurt the living, and his face bore ample 
teftimony of the feverity of the blow. " I forgot," 
fays he, " at any rate to interrogate it, as I am told I 
ihould have done — I am therefore refolved, this night, 
to have fitrther convidion, and fatisfy myfelf if the fig- 
ure be really fupernatural, or not." 

This determination was deemed' by all his friends 
exceedingly daring: and dangerous, but the foldier 
would not be diffuaded from his defign, as his honor, 
he thought, was too deeply concerned, befides, he 
Cotild not bear the idea that an enemy, thus unknown, 
or, what was ftill worfe, a meer fhadow, fnould get the 
better of him. Another elTay was therefore looked^ 
upo'n abfolutely neceffary. 

The nex,t night, he provided himfelf with larger pif- 
tols, and abundance of ball and powder — he did not 
load till about the time he was going to bed— he left 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY* 9^ 

a^-cKair againft the door, thereby to prove whether the 
thing was fupernatural, or not ; if fiipernatural, he 
fuppofed it would enter, as ghofls are thought to do 
through the keyhole, or at leaft, without throwing 
down the chair. However, in the middle of the night, 
he heard the fame knockings, the door opened, and 
down went the chair, which added not a little to the 
noife. Our hero rofe, feized two piftols, and firft quef- 
tioning who he was, the figure which was evidently not 
the fame he faw the preceding night, made no reply, 
he threatened to fire. — 

" Forbear," cried the fuppofed fpirit, •* if you will . 
be fatisfied, follow mQ^^ 

•* I will,'* replied the foldier, " but obferve this, , 
that if any danger awaits. me, as you. are my leader, 
it is at you therefore I Ihall difcharge the contents of 
thefe/' 

He followed him~the figure brought him down 
ttalrs to a private place under ground, where, a clan- 
defhine door being opened, he was adm.itted into the 
prefence of a gang of robbers ; the foldier ftili defendi- 
ed himfelf with his piftols, vowing he would difcharge 
them if his life was threatened,, but the captain of the. 
gang alTured him he was fate. 

** I am the perfon,*' cried he, " who gave you the 
blow laft night ; believe mey*# Ihould not have fo 
refolutely ftood your fire, had I not taken previous 
care to prevent your piftols (which you left here) from 
endangering my life, but you have been too prudent 
this time. We have long inhabited this place, and 



fUr mE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

made it a pradllce to deter people froniVivmgAn tSe 
houfe, that our ftay might be long and uninterrupted ; 
we take it by turns to haunt the houfe. Now, there- 
fore, as we ha=ve: been fo far candid to you, 'ere you 
depart from this, you muft fwear not to divulge our 
fecret within fourteen days, by which' tiiHe, we Ihall " 
pfovide fome other habitation for ourfelves, and give^ 
you quiet pofTeffion of this houfe.'* 

The foldier, without arty hefitation; agreed to this, 
upon which, his health was drank, and he became bet- 
ter acquainted with his nenv friends, for notwithftand-' 
mg their occupation, he thought there was fome honor 
among them* it being their fworn rule to make depre« 
dations only, but never commiit murdei*, if avoidable ; 
this was certainly evident in their behaviour to him — 
for doTibtlefs they could have deft royed hhn without 
fear of difcovery, inftead of wliich,^ they preferred 
rather making him die ir friend, and even giving up 
to him their convenient refidence* 

The next morning, the foldier's friends were very 
anxious to know his fuccefs z he amtifed them with a 
humorous fiditious tale that the fpirit (which was a 
fpirited o\\t\ndttd) confefTed, upon being interrogated 
three times, that he v/as uneafy, on account of fome 
bvifmefs he had omitted doing before he had died, the 
pjerformance of whlci^would render him now happy, 
and he would reft forever. ^ " I offered my fervices,'* 
added the fon of Mars — '^ Thank you," cried he, 
«^ you are -a very good fellow;'' — then he told me 
what it was, which being enjoined to keep fecret, I 
cannot poflibly reveal ; m fourteen days time, howev*- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. ;^|. 

er, I fliall be able to accomplifli it, and then, I flatter 
ni jfelf, I fiiall have quiet poffeffion of my houle at an 
eafy rent ; in order to efFed the latter, he went and 
made his bargain fure with the landlord. About the 
' expiration of the fortniglit,^ he went to his houfe, but 
firft of all, paid a vifit to the apartment that was un- 
der groimd ; he foon difcovered the door — he opened 
it, but tlie tenants were gone ; on the table, there was 
a letter for him, returning him heaity and fmcere 
thanks for the honorable adherence he obferved to his 
oath — as a requital for which, a bill for an hundred 
pounds was enclpfed ; this, thought the .foldier, will: 
be great help X.owzx'drhoufekeeping. 

His family now came to. congratulate him, among 
-^'hom was an old fuperftitious wgman, who hoped he 
was perfeaiy convinced that there were fuch things 
, ^s ghofts and apparitions. 

" No,'' cried our hero, ^^ I am not convinced yet.'* 

They all wondered at his incredulity, but more fo, 

when they heard the real ftory, and were admitted to 

the fecret apartment, which was demon/lration fuffi- 

. cient of its truth : herein they made, merry, and drauk 

a health to the new owner. 

After a few months quiet poffeffion, this happy 
uninterrupted tenant received the following brief, but 
pleafmg note, from one of his predeceffors. 

*« Sir, 
In the hurry and confufion of our leaving thcfe u^- 
, der-apartments, which we occupied in your houfe, ei- 
•dier without permiffion or the knowledge of the oy^mK% 



:^' THE VPLEASING LIBRAE Y. 

we omitted taking away a fmall box that contains foitie 
bags of gold ; you are certainly entitled to the lime 
for having fo honorably kept your word, which you 
may find under a ftone that is marked B. G. i ii. 

Yours, &c." 

Our furprifed hero Irrimediately examined the place 
that was referred to, where he found the box as de- 
icribed, containing three bags, with fifty guineas each ; 
thus, by courage and perfeverance, he obtained a dwel- 
ling on moderate terms, and a fuflSciency to >pay hi« 
rent for feveral fucceeding quarters. 

The creation Reqtjired to Praise ir« 
AUTPxOR. 



EGIN, my foul, tlf ..exalted lay ! 



B 

Let each enraptur'd thouglit obey, 

And praiie th' Almighty's name : 

LoJ heaven and earth, and feas and rkies, 

In one melodious concert rife, 
To fweil th' inipiriDg theme. 

Ye fields of light, celedial plains. 
Where gay tranfporting Beauty reigns^ 

Ye fcenes divinely fair ! 
Y^vOur Maker's vrondVous pow'r proc]aifn> 
Tell how he form'd your fliinirig frame^ 

And breath-d the ^uid air* 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

^^e angels, catch the thrilling found ! 
While all th' adoring thrones around 

His bocindlefs mercy ling : 
Let ev'ry lifVnlng faint above 
AVake all the tuneful foul of Love, 

And touch the fweeteft firing. 

Join, ye loud fpheres, the vocal choir ; 
Thou dazzhng orb of liquid fire. 

The mighty chorus aid : 
Soon as grey ev'ning gilds the plain^ 
Thou, Moon, protrad the melting flrain. 

And praife him in the fiiade. 

Thou heav'n of heav'ns his vaft abode ; 
Ye clouds, proclaim your forming God, 

Who calPd yon worlds from night t 
"Ye lliades, difpel !"— th' Eternal faid ; 
At once th' involving daiknefs fled, 

And Nature fprung to hght. 

Whate'er a blooming world contains, 
That wings the air, that fKims the plains^ 

United praife bellow : 
Ye dragons, found his awful name 
To heav'n aloud ; and rear acclaim. 

Ye fwelling deeps below. 

Let ev'ry element rejoice ; 

Ye thunders, 'burft v.ith awful voice 

To HIM who bids you roll ; 
His praife in fofter notes declare, 
lilach whifp'iing breeze of yielding a*r, 

And breath it to the foui 



97 



98 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

To. him, ye graceful cedars^ bow ; 
Ye towering mountains, bending low^ 

Your great Creator own ; 
Tell, when affrighted Nature Ihook, 
How Sinai kindled at his look, 

And trembled at his frown. 
Ye flocks, that haunt the humble vak, 

^emfeasflutt'ringonthegale, 

In mutual concourfe rife • 
Crop the gay rofe's vermeil bloom, 
And wait us fpoils, a fweet perfume, 

In mcenfe to the fkies. 

Wake, all ye mounting tribes, and fmg , 
fe plumy warblers of the fpring, 

Harmonious anthems raife 
To HIM who fhap'd your finer mould, 
Who tipp'd your gUttVing wings with gold, 

And ttm'd your voice to praife. 

Let man, .by nobler paffions fway'd, 
The feeling heart, the judging head, 

In heavenly praife employ ; 
Spread his tremendous name around, 
Till heaven's broad arch -rings back the found, 

The gen'ral- burft of joy. 

,, Ye whoni the charms of grandeur pleafe, 
Nurs'd on the downy lap of Eafe, 

Fall proHrate at his throne : 
Ye princes, rulers, all adore ; 
Praife him, ye kings, who makes your powV 
. An injage of his t5wn. 



THE PLEASING llERARY. 99^ 

Ye fair, by nature form'd to move, 
O praife tli* eternal source of love, 

With youth's enlivening fire : 
Let age take up the tuneful lay, 
Sigh his blefs'd name — th-cn foar away, 

And afk an angel's lyre. 

The vision continued from page ?.g* 
— ^— 

A\\ gracious Provivdece is p^ood a'nd v/ift , 
Alike hi what it ^-^ives, c.iA what denies. 

I 

jLiN the flrH part of the ViiiOUj I gave my 
readers a fight of that mountain of miferies which \^ as 
made up of thofe feveral calamities that afili(5l the 
minds of men : I faw, with unfpeakable pleafure, the 
whole fpecies thus delivered fromits forrows ; though, 
at the fame time, as we flood round the heap, and 
furveyed the feveral materials of which it was com- 
pofed, there was fcarce a mortal, in- this vail multi- 
tude, who did not difcover what he thought pleafures 
and bleffings of life ; and wondered how the owners 
of them ever came to look upon them as burdens and 
grievances. 

As we were regarding very attentively this confu" 
fion of miferies, this chaos of calamity, Jupiter iffued 
out a fecond proclamation, that every one was now at 
liberty to change his afflidion, and to return to his 



IQO THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

habitation with any other fuch bundle as fhould.be de- 
livered to him. 

Upon this, F^;?ry began to beftir herfelf, and par^ 
celling up the whole heap with incredible adivity, re- 
commended to e^^ery one his packet. The hurry and 
confuuon at this time was not to be exprefled. Some 
obfervations which I made upon this occafion I fhall 
Lommnnicate to the public. A venerable grey-head-* 
ed man, who had laid down the cholic, and who I 
found wanted an heir to hiseftate, fnatched up an un- 
dutiful ion, that had been thrown into the heap by an - 
angry iather.-The gracelels youth, in lefs than a quar- 
ter of an hour, pulled the old gentleman by the beard, 
and had like to have knocked his brains out ; fo that 
meeting the true father, who came towards him in a 
fit of the gripes, he begged him to take his fon again, 
and give him back his cholic ; but they were incapa- 
ble either of them to recede from the choice they had 
made. A poor galley-flave, who had thrown down 
his chains, took up the gout in their ftead ; but made 
fnch wry faces, that one might eafily perceive he w^as 
no great gainer by the bargain. It was pleafant e- 
nough to fee the feveral exchanges that were made for 
ficknefs againft poverty, hunger againfl want of appe- 
tite, and care again Tt pain. 

The female world were very bufy among themfelves 
in bartering for features : one was trucking a lock of 
gray hairs for a carbuncle ; another w^as making over 
a fliort waift for a pair of round ihoulders, and a third 
cheapening a bad face for a loft reputation : but on 
all theft occafions, there was not one of them who did 



THE PLEASING LIBHARY. loi 

not think the new blemifh, as foon as flie had got it 
into her po/Teffion much more diiagreeable than the 
old one. I made thp lame obfervation on every other 
misfortune or calamity, which every one in the affcm- 
bly brought upon himfelf, in lieu of what he had part- 
ed with : whether it be that all the evils which befal 
us are in fome meafure fuited and proportioned to our 
ftrength, or that every ill becomes more fupportable 
by our being accuftomed to it, I Ihall not determiner 

I eculd not from my-heart forbear pitying the poor 
humpbacked gentleman mentioned in the firft part cf 
this Viiion, who went off a very well iliaped perfcn 
With a flone in his bladder ; nor the fine gentleman. 
Vv'ho had ftruck up a bargain witli him that limped 
through the whole affembly of ladies, who ufed to ad- 
mire him, with a pair of Ihoulders peeping over his 
aead. 

I muft not omit my own particular adventure. My * 
liiend with the lono; vifa^-e had no fooner taken UDon 
him my fhort face, but he made fuch a grolefqae fig- 
ure en it, that as I looked xipon him, I could not for- 
bear laughing at myfelf, in fo much that I put my own 
face out of countenance. The poor gentleman was fo 
fenfible of the ridicule, that I found he was ailianied 
of what he had done : on the other fide, 1 found that 
I m}^eif had got no great reafon to triumph ; for as 
I went to touch my forehead, I rhiffed the place, and 
clapped my finger on my upper lip. Bendes, -■ - 
nofe^vas^xceedingly prominent, I gave it two orthre-f 
unlucky knocks, as I was playing mj hand about m^r 
face, and aim'nn; a': fome other part of it. [ iliw two 

1 2 



IQO 'THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

habitation with any other fuch bundle as fhouId.be de- 
livered to him. 

Upon this, Faf7cy began to beftir herfelf, and par* 
celling up th^ whole heap with incredible adivity, re- 
eommended to e^ery one Ms packet. The hurry and 
confufion at this time was not to be exprefled. Some 
obfervations which I made upon this occafion I fhall 
communicate to the public. A venerable grey-head- 
ed man, who had laid down the cholic, and who I 
found wanted an heir to hiseftate, fnatched up an un- 
dutiful ion, that had h^cn thrown into the heap by an . 
angry tather.-The graeelefs youth, in lefs than a quar- 
ter of an hour, pulled the old gentleman by the beard, 
and had like to have knocked his brains out ; fo that 
meeting the true father, who came towards him in a 
fit of the gripes, he begged him to take his fon again, 
and give him back his cholic ; but they were incapa- 
ble either of them, to recede from the choice they had 
made. A poor galley-flave, who had thrown down 
his chains J took up the gout in their ftead ; but made 
fnch Vv^ry faces, that one might eafily perceive he was 
no great gainer by the bargain. It was pleafant e- 
nough to fee the feveral exchanges that were made for 
ficknefs againft poverty, hunger againft want of appe- 
tite, and care again(t pain. 

The female world were vei y bufy among themfelves 
in bartering for features : one was trucking a lock of 
gray hairs for a carbuncle ; another was making over 
a Ihort waift for a pair of round ihoulders, and a third 
cheapening a bad face for a loft reputation : but on 
all thefs oc.cafions, there was not one of them who did 



THE PLEASING LIBHARY. loi 

not think the new blemifh, as foon as flie had got it 
into her po/TefTion much more difagreeable than the 
old one. I made th^ fame obrervation on every other 
misfortune or calamity, which every one in the affcm- 
bly brought upon himfelf, in lieu of vAat he had part- 
ed with : whether it be that all the evils which befal 
us are in fome meafure fuited and proportioned to our 
ftrength, or that every ill becomes more fupportable 
by our being accuftomed to it, I Ihall not determiner 

I could not from my- heart forbear pitying the poor 
humpbacked gentleman mentioned in the firfl: part of 
this Viiion, who went off a very well iliaped perfcn 
with a flone in his bladder ; nor the fin^ gentleman 
v/ho had ftruck up a bargain with' him that limped 
through the whole affembly of ladies, who ufed to ad- 
mire him, with a pair of Ihoulders peephig over his 

I muft not omit my own particular adventure. My * 
tiiend with the Ions: vini2:e had no fooner taken UDon 
him my fhort face, but he made fuch a grolefqae fig- 
ure en it, that as I looked upon him, I could not fo:- 
bear laughing at myfelf, in fo much tliat I put my own 
face out of countenance. The poor gentleman was fo 
fenfible'of the ridicule, that I found he was ailiarned 
of what he had done : on th- other fide, 1 found that 
I m}^elf had got no great reafon to triumph ; for as 
I went to touch my forehead, I rhlfled the place, and 
clapped my finger on my upper lip. Bendes, as mv 
nofe was exceedingly prominent, I gave it tvv-o or three 
unlucky knocks, as I was playing mj hand about niv 
face, and alm'np; at fome other part of it. I favr two 

I 2 



ip^ THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

Other gentlemen by me, who were In the fame ridicu^ 
lous circumftances. Thefe had made a foolifli fwap 
between a couple of thick bandy legs, and two long 
trap-fticks that had no calves to them. One of thefe 
looked like a man walking upon (lilts, and was fo lifted 
trp in the air above his ordinary height, that his head 
turned round with it ; while the other made fuch 
aukward circles as he attempted, to walk, that he fcarce 
knew how to move forward upon his new fupporters# 
Obferving him to be a very pleafant kind of a fellow, 
I ftuck my cane into the ground, and told him I would- 
lay him a bottle of wine that he did not march up to 
it on a line, that I drew for him, in a quarter of an 
hour. 

The heap was at lafl: diftributed among the tv/o fex^ 
es, who made a, moft piteous fight, as they wandered: 
up and down under the preffure of their feveral bur* 
dens. The whole plain was filled with murmurs and 
complaints, groans apd lamentations. Jupiter at 
length, taking compaffion upon the poor mortals, or- 
dered them afecond time to lay down their loads, with 
a defign to give every one his own again. They dif- 
charged them with a great deal of pkafure ; after 
which the Fhanfom, which had led them into fuch grofs 
delufion, was commanded to difappear. - There was 
fent in. her Head a goddefs of a quite diiferent figure i . 
iler motions were fteady and compofed, and her af-r 
peel ferious and cheerful. She every now and then 
<;art her eyes towards heaven, and ^xtd them upon Ju- 
piter.. Her name v/as Patience. She had no fooner 
placed herlclf by die Mount ^of Sorrows, but, what I^ 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. i«-r 

bought very remarkable, the whole heap funk to fuch 
a degree, that it did not appear a third part fo big as 
Tt was before. She afterwards returned every man 
bis own proper calamity, and teaching him how to 
bear it in the. mod commodious manner, he marched 
oiF with it contentedly, being very well pleafed that 
he had not been left to his own choice as to the kind 
of evils which fell to his lot. 

Befides the feveral pieces of morality to be drawn 
out of this vifion, I learnt from it, never to repine at 
my own misfortunes, or to envy the happinefs of an- 
other, fmce it is impoffible for any man to form a right 
judgment of his neighbour's fufFerings ; for which rea- 
fon alfo I have determined never to think too lightly 
of another's complaints, but to regard the forrows of 
my fellow- creatures with fentiments of humanity 
and compaffion, 

— x>'v:xxxxx<0>'^*0*xxxxxx:x:--- 

MODERATION in our WISHES* RECOM. 
MENDED. 

— ^ — 

J-^J^HE aclive mind of man feldom or nev- 
er rells fatisfied with its prefent condition, how profper- 
ous foever. Originally formed for a wider nmp-e of 
objefts, for a higher fphere of enjoyments, it finds itfelf^ 
in every fituation of fortune, ftraitened and confined; 
Senfible of deficiency in its ftate, it is ever fending 
"ferth the fond defire, the afpiring wifli, after fomething. 



10=4 THE PX.EASING LlBRARy. 

beyond what is enjoyed at prefent. Hence, that^refl* 
leffnefs v/hich prevails fo generally among mankinde 
Hence, that difguft of pleafures which they have tried ; 
that pafTion for novelty ; that ambition of rifmg to 
fome degree of eminence or felicity, of which they 
have formed to themfelves an indiftin^l" idea. All which 
may be confidered as indications of a certain native, 
original greatnefs in the human foul, fwelling beyond 
the limits of its prefent condition ; and pointing at, the 
higher objedls for which it was made. Happy, if thefe 
latent remains of our primitive ftate, ferved to direct 
our wifhes towards their proper deftination, and to lead 
Bs into the path of true^blifs ! 

But in this dark and bewildered ftate, the afpiring : 
tendency of our nature unfortunately takes an oppo- 
fite direction, and feeds a very mifplaced ambition. 
The flattering appearances *which here prefent them- 
felves to fenfe ; the diftindion which fortune confers; 
the advantages and pleafures w^hich we imagine the 
world to be capable of beftowing, fill up the ultimate 
wifh of mod men. Thefe are the objects which eigrofs 
their folitary mufings, and Simulate their adive labors 5 
which warm the breads of tlie young, animate the in- 
duftry of the middle aged, and often keep alive the - 
paffions of the old, until the very clofe of life. 

Afloredly, there is nothing unlawful in our wifliing 
to be freed from whatever is difagreeable, and to ob- 
tain a fuller enjoyment of the comforts of life. But 
v/hen thefe wiilies are not tempered by reafon, they 
are in danger of precipitating us into much extrava- 
gance and folly. Defires and wilhes are the firft 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 205 

firings o{ action. When they become exorbitant, the 
whole charadler is likely to be tainted. If we fmfFer our. 
fancy to create to itfelf worlds of ideal happinefs, we, 
fliall difcompofe the peace and order of our minds, and • 
foment many hurtful paffions. Here, then, let Mod- 
eration begin its reign ; by bringing within reafonable 
bounds the wifhes that we form. As foon as they be- 
come extravagant, let us check them, by proper re- 
fledtions on the fallacious nature of thofe objedls, which 
the world hangs out to allure defire. 

You have ftrayed, my friend, from the road which^ 
conduds to felicity ; you have diflionored the native 
dignity of your fouls, in allowing your wifhes to ter- 
minate on nothing higher than worldly ideas of great- 
nefs or happinefs. Your imagination roves in a land 
of rtiadows. Unreal forms deceive you. It is no more 
than a phantom, an illufion of happinefs, which atiratfts ^ 
your fond adrpiration ; nay, an illufions of happinefs, 
which often conceals much real mifery. 

Do yoift imagine, that all are happy, who have at-- 
tained to thofe fum mi ts of diftindlion, towards which 
your wifhes afpire ? Alas ! how frequently has experi* 
ence fhowm, that where rofcs were fuppofed to bloom,, 
nothing but briers and thorns grew ? Reputation, 
beauty, riches, grandeur, nay, royalty itfelf, would,, 
many a time, have been gladly exchanged by the pof- 
feifors, for that more quiet and humble ftation, with 
which you are now dilfatisfied. With ail that is fplei> 
did and fhlning in the world, it is decreed that there 
fliDiddmix many deep fliades of woe. On the eleva* 



.'c6 TH^ PLEASING LIBRART: 

ted fituations of fortune, the great calamities of life 
chiefly fall. There, the ftorm fpends its violence, and" 
there, the thunder breaks ; while, fafe and unhurt, the 
inhabitant of the vale remains below. — -Retreat, then, 
from thofe vain and pernicious excurfions of extrava- 
gant defire. Satisfy yourfelves with what is rational ^ 
and attainable. Train your minds to moderate views 
of human life, and human happinefs. Remember, and ; 
admire, the v/ifdom of Agur's petition : " Remove far " 
from me vanity and lies. Give me neither poverty 
nor riches. Feed me v.?ith food convenient for me • 
Left I be full, and deny thee ; and fay, who is the 
Uord ? or left I be poor, and fteal ; and take the 
name of Ged in vain." 

- xxxx><>:::«©t-j^«©9XX>;:x>-::x- 

PIETY AMD GRATITUDE enliven PROS- 
FERITY. 



p. 



_^_ 



lETY, and gratitude to God, contri- 
bute, In a high degree, to erJiven prcfperity. Grati- 
tude is a pleafing emotion. The fenfe of being diftin- 
guiQied by the kindnefs of another, gladdens the 
heart, warms it with reciprocal aifedion, and gives to 
any poffeflion which is agreeable in itfelf, a double 
relifti, from its being the. gift of a. friend.^ Favors con- 
ferred by men, I acknowledge may prove burden- 
fome. For human virtue is never perfed ; and fome- 
ti^es unreafonabie expectations on the one fide^fome-' 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. I07 

: ^irnes a mortifying fenfe of dependence on the others 
corrode in fecret the pleafure of benefits, and convert 
.the obligations of friendfliip into grounds of jealoufyo 
But nothing of this kind can affedl the intercourfe of 
gratitude with Heaven. Its favors are v^diolly dif- 
incerefted ; and with a gratitude the moft cordial 
and unfufpicious, a good man looks up to that Al- 
mighty Benefadlor, w^ho aims at no end but the 
happinefs of thofe whom he bleffes, and who defires 
no return from them, but a devout and thankful 
heart. While others can trace tl^eir profperity to no 

: higher fource than a concurrence of .worldly caufes; 
and, often, of mean or trifling incidents, which occa- 
fionally favored their defigns ; with what fuperior fat- 
isfadion does the fervant of God remark the hand of 
that Gracious Power which hath raifed him up 5 
which hath happily conduced him tlirough the vari- 
ous fteps of life, and crowned him with the moft. fa- 
vorable diftindtion> beyond his equals ? 

Let us farther confider, that not only gratitude for 
the paft, but a cheering fenfe of Divine favor at the 
-prefent, enters into the pious emotion. They are 
only the virtuous, who in their profperous days hear 
tliis voice addreffed to them, " Go thy way, eat thy 
bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a cheerful 
heart ; for God now accepteth thy works." He who 
is the Author of their profperity, gives them a title to 
enjoy, with complacency, his own gift. While bad 
men fnatch the pleafures of the world as by ftealth, 
without countenance from the Great Proprietor of the 
world ; the righteous fit openly down to the feaft of 



loS THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

life, under the fmile of approving Heaven. Ne 
-guilty fears damp their joys. The bleffing of God 
Tefts upon all that they poiTefs ; his protedlion fur- 
rounds them; and hence, "in the habitations of the 
righteous, is found drie voice of rejoicing and faiva-* 
?tion." A luftre unknown to others, invefts, tn their 
fight, the whole face of nature. Their piety refleds 
a funfhine from heaven upon the profperity of th^e 
W' orld ; unites in one point of view, the fmiling afpe6t, 
both of the powers above, and of the objects below. 
Not only have they as full a^relifh as others, of the 
Innocent pleafiires of life, but, moreover, " in thefe 
they hold communion v/ith their Divine Benefador. 
In ail that is good or fair, they trace his hand. From 
'the beauties of nature, from the improvenients of art, 
from the enjoyments of focial life, they raife their 
affedtion to the fource of all the happinefs which 
Surrounds them ; and thus widen the fphere of their 
pleafures, by adding inteileclual, and fpiritual, to 
.earthly joyjs. 

'For illuftration of what I have jfaid on fhis head, 
remark that cheerful enjoyment of a profperous Piate, 
which King David had when he wrote the twenty- 
third Pfalm ; and compaTe the higheft pleafures of t];e 
riotous finner, v/idi the happy and fatisfied fpirit 
which breathes throughout that Pfaim. — In the midft 
of the fplendor of Toyalty, with what amiable nmphc- 
ity of gratitude does lie look up to the Lord as " his 
Shepherd ;" happier in afcrlbing all his fuccefs to 
Divine favor, than to the policy of his councils, or 
to the force of his arms ? How many indances of 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. n^ 

Divine goodncfs arofe before him in pleafing re- 
membrance, when with fuch rcliih he fpeaks of the 
*' n-reen paftures and ftill waters, befide which God 
had led him ; of his cup which he had made to over- 
flow ; and of the table which ho had prepared for 
him in the prefence of his enemies !" With what per- 
fe(5t tranquilhty does he look forward to the time of 
his paffing through <* the valley of the Ihadow of 
death ;'* unappalled by that fpe(5i:re, whofe moft diftant 
appearance blafts the profperity of fmners ! He fearS 
no evil, as long as "the rod and the ftaff" of his 
Divine Shepherd arc with him ; and, through all the 
unknown periods of this and of future exiftence, com- 
mits himfelf to his guidance with fecure and triumph- 
ant hope : " Surely goodnefs and mercy will follow^ 
me all the days of my life ; and I fliall dwell in the 
hcufe of the Lord forever.'*' — What a purified, fen- 
timental enjoyment of profperity is here exhibited ? 
How different from that grofs relifh of worldly 
pleafures, which belongs to thofe who beliold.only the 
tcrreftrial fide of things ; who raife their views to no 
b.igher objecls tlian the fuccffPton of human con- 
tingencies, and the wccil: eiTcrts of human ;:.biiity \ 
who have no proicS^ov cr patron in the heavens, to 
enliven their profperity, or to warm their hearts with 
gratitude and truit ! 



i^ro THE PLEASING UBRARX 

Gn spending TIME- 
— -^ — 

Time in advance behind him hides his wings, 
And feems to creep decrepid with hh age : 
Beheld him when pail by, w hat then is feen, 
But his broad pinions ijeeter than the wind. 

\^^ E all -^of , us complain of the fliprtnefe 
or time, faith Senecay and yet have much more than 
We know what to do with. Our lives, fays he? are fpent 
either in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to 
the purpofe, or in doing noticing that we ought to do. 
We are always complaining our days are few, and ac- 
ting as though there would be no end of them. That 
noble philofopher has defcribed our inconfiftency with 
ourfelves in this particular, by all thofe various turns 
of expreEion and thought which ate pecuhar to his 
y/ri tings. 

I often confider mankind as wholly inconfiftent w4th 
itfelf in a point tha,t bears fome affinity to the former. 
Though we feem grieved at the faortnefs of life in gen- 
eral, we are wiiliing every period of.it at: an end. The 
minor longs to be at age, then to be a man of bufmefs, 
then to make up an eilatCj then to arrive at honors^ 
then to retire. Thus, although the whole of life is al- 
lowed by every one to be ihort,.the feveral divifions of 
it appear to be long and tedious. We are for length- 
ening our fpan in general, but\^^uld fain contrad the 
parts of which it is compcied. The ufurer would be 
very well faUc.|ied to have all the time annihilated that 



THfe PLSA^ING LIBRARY. rti 

lies between the prefent moment and next quarter day. 
The politician would be content to lofe three years in 
his life, could he place things in the pofture which he 
fancies they will ft ind In after fiich a revolution of time. 
The lover would be glad to (Irike out of his exiftence 
all the moments that are to pafs away before the hap- 
py meeting. Thus, as fail as our time runs, we fhould 
be very glad. In mod part of our lives, that It ran 
much fafler than it does. Several hours of the d'^^y- 
hang upon our hands, nay, we wllh away Vv-^hole years, 
and travel through time as through a country filled 
with many" wild and empty v>^a(lei?, which v>'c v.-ouM 
fain hurry over, that we may arrive at tii-'^-^e fcvcrnl 
little iet'lerrisjats, or imaginary points of red, which 
are difperfedup and down in it. 

If we divide the life of mod men into twenty parts:, 
we fnall find that at lead nineteen of them are mere 
gaps and chafms, which are neither filled with pleafure 
nor bufmefs. I do not, however Include in this calcu- 
lation the life of thofe men w^ho are In a perpetual hur- 
ry of affairs, but of thofe only who are not always 
engaged in fcenes of adlon ; and I hope I fhall not do 
an unacceptable piece of fervice to thofe perfons, if I 
point out to them certain methods for the filling up 
their empty fpaces of life. The methods I Ihall pro- 
pofe to them are as follov/ : 

The firft is the exercife of virtue, in the mod gener- 
al acceptation of the word. That particular fcheme 
which comprehends the focial virtues, may give emw 
ployment to the mod indudrlous temper, and find a 
man more bufmefs than the mod aclive dation of lif^. 



jiz THE PLEASING LIBRAB.ir. 

To advlfe the ignorant, relieve the needy, comfort the 
afBided, are duties that fall in our way almoft every 
day of our lives. A man has frequent opportunities 
of mitigating the fierccnefs of a party ; of doing juil- 
ice to the charadter of a deferving man ; foftening 
the envious, quieting the angry, and redtifyirig the 
prejudiced ; which are all of them employments fuited 
to a reafonable nature, and bring great fatisfadion to 
the perfonwho can bufy hi-mfelf iu them with difcre- 
tioru 

There is another kind of virtue that may find en> 
ployment for thofe retired hours in which we are alto- 
gether left to ourfelves, and d^ftitute of company and 
couverfation ; I mean that intercourfe and communi- 
cation which every reafonable creature ought to main- 
tain with the great Author of his being. The man 
who lives under an habitual fenfe of the Divine pret 
ence, keeps up a perpetual cheerfulnefs of temper, and 
enjoys every moment the fatisfadtion of thinking him- 
feif in company with his deareft and beft friend. The 
time never lies heavy upon him : it is impoffible for 
him to be alone. His thoughts and paffions are the 
mod bufied atfich hours, when thofe of other men 
are the mod inadive. He no fooner flt::ps out of the 
w^orld, but his heart burns with devotion, fwells with 
hope, and triumphs in the confcioah^fs of that pref- 
ence which every where furrounds him : or, on the, 
contrary, pours out its fears, its forrows, its apprehen- 
fions, to the great Supporter of its exiftence. 

I have here only confidered tlie neceffity of a man's 
..being vinuous, that he may have fomething to do f 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 113 

bin if I coiifiJer farther, that the exercife of virtue Is 
not only an amiifement for the time it lafts, but that 
its influence extends to thofe parts of our exiilencc 
•which lie beyond the grave ; and that our whole eter- 
nity is to take its color from thofe hours which we here 
employ in virtue or in vice, the argument redoubles 
upon us, for putting in prafllce this method of pacing 
away our time. 

When a man has but a little flock to improve, and 
has opportunities of turning it all to good account, 
what ihall we think of him if he fuifers nineteen parts 
of it to He dead, and perhaps employs even the twenti- 
eth to his ruin ©r difadvaptage ? But becaufe the mind 
cannot be always in its fervors, nor ilrained up to a 
pitch of virtue, it is neceiiary to find out proper em- 
ployments for it in its relaxations. 

The next method therefore that I would propofe to 
fill up our time, fhould be ufeful and innocent diver- 
fion. I muft confers I think it is below refonablc crea- 
tures to be altogether converfant in fuch diverfions as 
are merely innocent, and have nothing elfe to recom- 
mend them; but that there is no hurt in them. Wheth- 
er any kmd of gaming has even thus much to fay tor 
itfelf, I fiiall not determine ; but I think it is very 
wonderful to fee perfons of the beft fenfe pafling away 
a dozen hours together in frrufliing and dividing a pack 
of cards, with no other converilition but, what is made^ 
up of a few game phrafes, and no other Ideas but thofe 
of black or red fpots ranged together in different fig- 
ures. Would not a man laugh to hear any one of 

tl;is fpecies complaining that life is fhort ! 
K 2 



114 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

The Rage might be made a perpetual foiirce of the 
moll noble and uieful eatertahiments, were It under 
proper regulations. 

But the mind never unbends itfelf fo agreeably as in 
the converfation of a well chofen friend. There is In- 
deed no bleffing in life that Is any way comparable to 
the enjoyment of a difcreec and virtuous friend. It 
cafes and unloads the mind, clears and Improves the 
underftanding, engenders thought and knowledge, an- 
imates virtue and good refolutions, footlis and allays 
the pailions, and finds employment for moll of the va- 
cant hours of life. 

Next to fuch an intimacy with a particular perfon, 
one would endeavor after a more general converfation 
with fuch as are capable of edifying.and entertaining 
thofe with whom they converfe, which are qualities 
that feldom go afunder. 

There are many other ufeful amufements of life 
which one would endeavor to multiply, that one 
might, on all occafions, have recourfe to fomething, 
rather than fuifer the mind to lie idle, or run adrift 
v/ith any paffion that chances to arife in it. 

A man that has a talle for mufic, painting, or arch- 
iteftare, is like one that has another fenfe, when com- 
pared with fuch as have no relilh of thofe arts. The 
fiorlit, the planter, the gardener, the hufbandman, 
v/hen they are only as accompllfhments to the man 
of fortune, are great reliefs to a country life, and ma- 
ny ways ufeful to thofe who are poiTeifed of them, 



I-i 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. iijl 

On pleasure. 

— -^ — 

r has been tlie objecft of writers of every 
age to fijo-.v that pleafure is in us, and not in the ob- 
jects olrered for our amufement. If the foul be happily 
difpofed, every thing becomes capable of affording en- 
tertainment, and dillrefs will almoft want a name. 
Every occurrence paffes in review like the figures of 
a proceflion ; fome may be aukward, others ill-dreiTed j 
but none but a fool is for this enraged with the mafter 
of the ceremionies. 

An inftance of the truth of this was feen in the per- 
fon of a flave in a fortification in Flanders, who ap- 
peared no way touched w^ith his fituation. He was 
maimed, deformed, and chained ; obliged to toil from 
the appearance of day till night-fall, and condemned 
to this for life ; yet, w^ith all thefe circumftances of ap- 
parent wretchednefs, he fung, would have danced but 
that he wanted a leg, and appeared the merrieft, hap- 
pieft man of all the garrifon. What a practical phi- 
lofopher was here ? a happy conftitution fupplied phi- 
lofophy; and, though feemlngly deftitute of wifdom, 
he was really wife. No reading or ftudy had contrib- 
uted to difenchant the fairy-land around him. Every 
thing ftwnlfhed him with an opportunity of mirth ; 
and, though fome thought him, from his infenfibility, 
a fool, he was fuch an idiot as philofophers fhould wifh*' 
to imitate ; for all phllofophy is only forcing the trade 
of happinefs, when nature feems to deny the means. 



tf& rnP. PLEASING LIBRARf. 

Tliofe who, like our flave, can place themfelves ort 
that fide of the world in which every thing appears in 
a pleafing light, will find fomething in every occur- 
rence to excite their good humor. The mod calami- 
tous events, eidher to themfelves or others, can bring 
no new affliction ; the whole w^orld is to them a the- 
atre, on v/hich comedies on^y are aded. All the baf- 
tle of hcroifm, or the rants or ambition, ferve only 
to heighten the abfardity of the fcene, and make the 
humor more poignant. They feel, in fhort, as little 
anguift at their own didrefs, or the com.pl aints of oth- 
ers, as the undertaker, though- drcffcd in black, feels 
forrow at a funeraL- 

The famous cardinal di Retz poffeffed this happi- 
nefs of temper in the higheft degree, more perhaps^ 
than any other man in the world. As he was a man 
of gallantry, and defpifed all that w^ore the pedantic 
appearance of philofophy, wherever pleafure was to- 
be fold, he was generally forenioft to raife the aiid:ion. 
Eeino- an imiverfal admifer of the fair fex, when he 
found one lady cruel, he generally fell in love with an- 
other, from whom he expeded a more favorable re- 
ception : if fhe too reje<fted his addreffes, he never 
thouo-ht of retiring into deferts, or pining in hopelefs 
diilrefs. He perfuaded himfelf, that, inftead of lov- 
ing the lady, he only fancied that he had loved her,^ 
and fo all was v/ell again. When fortune wore her 
angrieft look, and he at laft fell into the power of hrs 
mod deadly enemy cardinal Mazarine, (being confin- 
ed a clofe pnfoner in the caflle of Valenciennes) he 
©ever attempted to fupport his diftrefs by wifdom or 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 117- 

philolbphy, for he pretended to neither. He only- 
laughed at himfelf and his perfecutor, and feemed in- 
iinitely pleafed at his new fituation. In this manfion 
of diftreis, though fecladed from his fnends, though 
denied all the amufements, and even the conveniences 
of life, he ftill retained his good humor ; laughed at 
all the httle fpite of his enemies ; and carried the jeft 
fo far as to be revenged, by writing the life of his 
gaoler. 

To be ftubborn or fullen under misfortunes, is all/ 
that the wiidom of the proud can teach. The car- 
dinal's example will inftrud us to be merry in circum- 
ftaitces of the higheft afRicftion. It matters not wheth- 
er our good humor be conftrued by others into infen- 
fibility, or even ideotifm ; it is-happinefs to ourfelves,. 
and none but a fool would meafure his fatisfadlion by 
what the world thinks of it ; for my own part, I nev- 
er pafs by one of our prifons for debt, that I do not 
envy that felicity which is ftill going forward among,, 
thofe people who forget the care of the world by be- 
ing fliut out from its ambition. 

The following account of a good natured fellow^ 
who adaally fubfiils at this moment, is a cafe in 
point. Whenever he fell into any mifery, he ufually 
'called it feeing life. If his head was broke by a. 
chairman, or his pocket picked by 9 fliarpcr, he com- 
forted himfelf by imitating the Hibernian dialect of 
the one, or the more falhionabie cant of- the other. 
Nothing came amifs to him. His inattention to mon- 
ey matters had incenfed his father to fuch a degree? 
tliat all the interceflion of friends in his favor was 



51 8 THE PLEASING LIBRART. 

fruitleis. The old gentleman was on his death-Kedi 
The whole family, and Dick among the number., 

gathered around him- -'^^ I leave my fecond fon> . 

Andrew," faid the expiring mifer, "my whole eftate,. 
and deiire him to be- frugal'' ^ Andrew, in a forrow- 
ful tone as Is ufual on tliefe occafions, prayed heaven- 
to prolong his life and health, to enjoy It himfelf. " I 
recommend Simon, my third 'fon, to the care of his 
elder brother, and leave him befide four thoufand 
pounds.*' *♦- Ah ! father," cried Simon (in great af-- 
fliflion to be fure) ** May heaven give you life and 
health to enjoy it yourfelf."^ At laft, turning to poor 
Dick, <^ As for you, you have always been a fad dog ; 
you will never come to good ; you v/ill never be ricb; 
I will leave you a fliilling to buy an halter." " Ah-1 
father," cries Dick, without any emotion, **may heavea 
give you life a.nd health to tiirjoy it yourfeif."" This 
was all the trouble the lofs of fortune gave this thought- 
lefs imprudent creature. However, the tendernels of 
an uncle recompenfed the negledl of a father ; and he 
is now not only exceiUvely good-humored, but cc/m- 
petently ricK.. 

Let the world cry out at a bankrupt who appears: 
at a ball ; at an author who laugKs at the public which ■. 
pronounces him a dunce ; at a general who fmiles at 
the reproach of the vulgar, or the lady who keeps her 
good-liumor infpite of fcandal ; but fuch is the >\'ifeft 
behaviour that any of us can poffible affum.e ; it is 
certainly a better way to oppok calamity by diiiipa- 
tton, than to take up the arm.s of reaibn or refolution^ 
te.opnoieit : by the Brll method, we forget our raifa- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. irp 

:fres ; by the*4ail, we only conceal them from others ; 
by ftruggling with misfortunes, we are iVire to receive 
fome wounds in the conflid ; but a fure method to 
come oiF vf^orious, is by running away. 

RANK and'RICHES afford no GROUND 

FOR ENVY. 



-^>- 



Oi 



fF all the grounds of envy atncng men, 
iuperiority in rank and fortune is the moft general. 
-Hence, the malignity which the poor commonly bear 
to the rich, as engroffmg to themfelves all the com- 
forts of life. -Hente, the evil eye with which perfons 
of inferior ftation fcrutinize thofe who are above them 
in rank ; and if tliey approach to that rank, their en- 
vy is generally ftrongeft againft fucli as are juft one 
Hep higher than themfelves. — Alas ! my friends, all 
this envious difquietude, which agitates the world, ^ 
•arifes from a deceitful figure which impofes on the pub- 
lic view. Falfe colors are hung out : the real (late 
of men is not what it ieenis to be. The order of fo- 
ciety requires a diftindion of ranks to take place ; but 
in point of hiy^pinefs, all men come much nearer to 
equality than is comj3:ionly imagined ; and the cir- 
cumflanccs, which -form any material diiFerence of 
happinefs among them, are not of that nature whidfi 
renders them grounds of envy. The poor man pof- 
-ieffes not, it is true, fome of the conveniences and 
leafures of the rich j but, in return, he isiice ix^^m 



^20 THE PLEASmG LIBRARV: 

many embarrafTments to which they are fubjedl. By 
the fimplicity and uniformity of his life, he is deliv- 
ered from that variety of cares, which perplex thofe 
who have great affairs to manage, intricate plans to 
purfue, many enemies, perhaps, to encounter in the 
purfuit. In the tranquillity of his fraall habitation, 
and private family, he enjoys a peace which is often 
unknown at courts. The gratifications of nature, 
which are always the moft failisfadlory, are pofTeffed 
by him to their fell extent ; and if he be a flranger to 
the refined pleafures of the wealthy, he is unacquaint- 
ed alfo with the defire of them, and by confequence, 
feels no want. His plain meal fatisfies his appetite, 
with a reliili, probably, higher than that of the rich 
man, who fits down at his luxurious banquet. His 
fleep is more found ; his health more firm ; he knows 
not what fpleen, languor, and liflleiTnefs are. His ac- 
cuftomed employments or labors are not more oppref- 
five to him, than the labor of attendance on courts and 
the great, the labors of drefs, the fatigue of amule- 
ments, the very weight of idlenefs, frequently are to 
the rich. In the m^an time, all the beauty of the face 
of nature, all the erjoymcnts of dcmeftic fociety, all 
the gaity and chcerfulnefs of an eafy mind, are as open 
to him as to thofe of ihe highcfi: rank. The fplendor 
of retinue, the fr-rmd of tides, the appearances of hign 
re^pecl, are indeed fnoth^r.cr, f.-.^ a (liort time, to the 
great. But, become fimilinr. tliey are U)on forgotten. 
Cuftom effaces their imT^refiion. They fmk into the 
rank of thofe ordinary thinp:^, which daily recur, with- 
out rairing any fenfation cf ]oy. — T.et rs cea^e, there- 
fore, from looking up withdifcontent and envy to thofe, 



T^E PLEASING LIBRARY. lai 

whom birth or fortune has placed above us. Let us ad- 
jull the balance of happlnefs fairly. When we think 
of the enjoyments wq want, \vq ihould think alio of the 
troubles from which we are free. If we allow their 
jutl value to the comforts we poifefs, we Ihall ^d rea- 
fon to reft fatisiied, wiih a very moderate^tJihough not 
an opulent and fplendid condition of fortune. Often, 
did we know the whole, we mould be inclined to pit / 
the Uate of thofe whom we now envy. 

The mortifications of VICE great£& 
THAN THOSE OF VIRTUE. 



T 



-^— 



HOUGH no condition of human life is 
free from uneafmefsjyet it rcuft be allowed, that the un- 
•^afinefs belonging to a frnful courfe, is far greater, thaa 
what attends a courfe of well-doing. If we are wear/ 
of the labors of virtue, we In ay be afiured, that the 
world, whenever v.e try the ei charge, will lay upon 
us a much heavier Icud. It is the oulfidc, only, of a 
licentious life, which is gay and miiilng. "Withui, it 
conceals toil, and trouble, and deadly fonow. For 
vice poifons human happirefs in ilie "pig, by intic- 
ducing diforder into the heart. Ihoie paiixns v^hith 
it feems to indulge, it only feeds v/ith irnpeifed grati- 
ilcations ; and thereby llrengtLcns than for preying, 
m the end, on their unhiippy via* nis. 

It is a great mi/lake to imagine, iLat the } ain of 
fcir-utaial Is crnfircd to \iiluc. Hv wl.o -b- lv. ^ ili-i 



2^^ THE PLEASING LIBRAtifT. 

world, as much as he v/ho follows Chrift, muft <'t^k« 
up his crofs ;" and to him affuredlv, it will prove a 
^more oppreffive burden. Vice allows all our paffions 
to range uncontrolled ; and where each claims to be 
fuperior, it is impoffible to gratify all. The pre- 
' dominant defire can only be indulged at the expenfe 
of its rival. No mortifications which virtue exads, 
are more fevert than thofe, which ambition impofes 
upon the love of eafe, pride upon intereft, and covet- 
oufnefs upon vanity. Self-denial, therefore, belongs, 
in common, to vice and virtue ; but with this remark- 
able difference, that the paflions which virtue requires 
us to mortify, it tends to w^eaken ; whereas, thofe 
w^hich vice obliges us to deny, it, at the fame time, 
ftrengthens. The one diminillies the pain of felf-deni- 
al, by moderating the demand of paffion ; the other in- 
creafes it, by rendering thofe demands imperious and 
violent. What diftrelTes, that occur in the calm life 
of virtue, can be compared to thofe tortures which re- 
morfe of confcience inflicls on the wacked ; to thofe 
fevere humiliations, arifmg from guilt combined w^ith 
misfortunes, which fmk them to the. du ft ; to thofe 
violent agitations of iliamiC and difappoiDtment, which 
fometlmes drive them to the mcft fatal extremities, 
and make them abhor their exiftence ? Hov/ often, in 
the midil: of thofe difailrous ficuations, into which 
their crimes have brought them, have they execrated 
the feduclions of vice ; and, w^ith bitter regret, looked 
back to the day on which they firil forfcok the pafb 
of innocence ! 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY^ lai' 

The dignity of VIRTUE amidst corrupt 
EXAMPLES. 

_^_ 

X HE moft excellent and honorable char- • 
a:<fler which can adorn a nnan and a Chriitian, is ac- 
quired by refiiling the torrent of vice, and adhering 
to the caufe of God and virtue againil a corrupted 
multitude. It will be found to hold in general, that 
all tliofe, wlio, in anv of the great lines of life, have 
diitiriguiihed themfelves for thinking profoundly, and 
a<5ling nobly, have defpifed popular prejudices ; and 
departed, in feveral things, from the common ways of 
the world. On no occafion is this more requifite for 
true honor, than where religion and morality are con- 
cerned. In time, of pre vailing. licentioufnefs, to main- 
tain unblemiihed virtue, and uncorrupted integrity 5 
in a public or a private caufe, to ftand firm by what 
is fair and juft, 'amidft difcouragements and oppofi- 
tion ; defpifmg groundlefs cenfare and reproach ; dif- 
daining all compliance with public manners, when 
they are vicious and unlawful ; and never afhamed of 
the punctual difcharge of every duty towards God 
and man ; — this is what fhows true greatnefs of fpirit, 
and will force approbation even from the degenerate 
multitude themfelves. " This is the man,^' (their 
confcience will oblige them to acknowledge,) " whom 
we are unable to bend to mean condefcenfions. We 
fee it in vain either to flatter or to threaten him ; he 
refts on a principle within, which we cannot fiiake. To 
tius man we may, on any occafion, fafely commit our 



fi4 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

caufe. He Is incapable of betraying his truft, or de- 
fining hi^s friend, or denying his faith." 

It is, accordingly, this Heady inflexible virtue, this 
regard to principle, fuperior to all cuHom and opin- 
ion, which peculiarly marked the characters of thofe 
in any age, who have fhone with diftinguifhed luftre ; 
and has confecrated their memory to all poflerity. It 
was this that obtained to ancient Enoch the moft fin- 
gakr teRimony of honor from heaven. He continued 
to *' wa'k with God,'' when the world apoftatized from 
him. He pleafed God, and was beloved of him ; fo 
that living among fmners, he was tranflated to heaven 
without feeing death ; " Yea, fpeedily was he taken 
away, ka wickcdnefs fhould have altered his under- 
ftanding, or deceit beguiled his foul.'' When Sodom. 
could not furnifh ten righteous men to fave it. Lot re- 
mained unfpotted amidil the contagion. He lived like 
an angel among fpirits of darknefs ; and the deftroymg 
flame\vas not permitted to go forth, till the good man 
was called away by a heavenly meflenger from his 
d-voted city. When '' all fiefh had corrupted their 
way upon the eartlv' then lived Noah, a righteous 
man, and a preacher of righteoufnef^. He ftood alone, 
and was fcofFed by the profane crew. But they by 
the deluge were fwept away ; while on him, Provi- 
dence conferred the immortal honor, of being the re- 
itorer of a better race, and the father of a new world. 
Suck examples as thefe, and fuch honors conferred 
by God on them who withftood the multitude of evil 
doers, Ihould often be prefent to our minds. Let us 
cppofe tiiCin to the n^imbers of low and conuptexam- 
v'-Qu which we behold around us; and when we are 



ntnE PLEASING LIBRARY. 11.5 

in hazard of being fwayed by fuch, let us fortify our 
virtue by thinking of thofe ^vho, in former times, 
fhone like flars in the midft of furrounding darknefs, 
and are now fhining in the kingdom of heaven, as the 
brightnefs of the firmament, for ever and ever. 

Th.e clemency and amiable CHARACTER 
OF THE PATRIARCH JOSEPH. - 



N. 



-^- 



O human charader exhibited inthe rec- - 
ords of ScripttPPejis more remarkable or inftructivethan 
that of the patriarch Jofeph. He is one whom we be- 
hold triedinalltheviciiTitudesof fortune; from the con- 
dition of a flave,rifmg to be ruler ofthe land of Egypt; 
and in every ftation acquiring-, by his virtue and wif- 
dom, favor with God and man. When overfeer of 
Potiphar's houfe, his fidelity was proved- by ftrong 
temptations, which he honorably refifted. When 
thrown into prifon by the artifice of afalfe woman, his 
integrity and prudence foon rendered him confpicucu?, 
even in that dark manfion. • WHien called into the 
prefence of Pharoah, the wife and extenfive plan which 
he formed for faving the kingdom from the miferies of 
impending famine, juftly raifed him to a Iri.gh. ftaticn, . 
wherein his abirities were eminently difplayed inthe.. 
public fervice. But in his whole hiftory, there is no 
circumftance fo ftriking and interefting, as his behav- - 
ieur to his brethren who had fold him into flaverv. . 
TUa moment in which he aaade himfelf knovm to > 



l^6 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

tbem, was the moll critical one of his life? and the 
moil: decifivc of his charafler. It is fuch as rarely oc- 
curs in the courfe of human events ; and is calculated 
to draw the higheft attention of all who are endowed 
with any degree of fenfibility of heart. 

From the whole tenor of the narration it appears, 
that though Jofeph, upon the arrival of his brethren in 
Egypt, made himfelf Ilrangc to them, yet from the be- 
ginning he intended to difcoverhimfelf ; and ftudiedfo 
to condufl the difcov3ry> as might render the furprife of 
joy complete. For this end, by afFe<fted feverlty/hc took 
-meafares for bringing down into Egypt all his father's 
children. They were now arrived there ; and Benja- 
min among the refl, who was his younger brother by 
the fame mother, and was particularly beloved by 
Jofeph, Him he threatened to detain ; and feemed 
, wining to allow the refl to depart. Tliis incident re- 
newed their diftrefs. They all knew their father's ex- 
treme anxiety about the fafety of Benjamin, and with 
what diiFicnlty he had yielded to his undertaking this 
journey. Should he be prevented from returning, they 
dreaded that grief would overpower the old man's 
fpirits, and prove f^tal to- his life. Judah, therefore, 
who had particularly urged the neceffity of Benjamin's 
accompanying his brothers, and hadfolemnly pledged 
himfelf to their father for his fafe return, craved, upon 
this occafion, an audience of the governor ; and gave 
him a full account of the circumftances of Jacob's fam- 
ily. 

Nothing can be more interefting and pathetic than 
tl;is dlfcourfe of Judah. Little knowing to whom he 



THE PLEASING JLIBRARY. xz; 

fpoke, he paints in all the colors of fimple and natural 
eloquence, the diftrefled fituation of the aged patri- 
arch, haftening to the clofe of life ; long afflided for 
the lofs of a favorite fon, whom he fuppofed to have 
been torn in pieces by 3 beafl of prey ; laboring now 
under anxious concern about his youngeft fon, the 
child of his old age, v/ho alone v/as left alive of his 
motlier, and whom nothing but the calamities of fe- 
Vcre fariine could have moved a tender father toTend 
from home, and expofe to the dangers of a foreign 
land. " If we bring him not back with us, we fhall 
bring down the grey hairs of thy fervant, our father^-* 
Vv-ith forrow, to the grave. I pray thee therefore let 
thy fervant abide, inftead of the young m.an, a bondman 
to our lord. For how (hall 1 go up to my father, and 
Benjamin not with me ? left I fee the evil that fhall 
come on my father,'* 

Upon this relation, Jofeph could no longer reftrain 
himfelf. The tender ideals of his father and his father's 
houfe, of his ancient home, his country and his kin- 
dred, of the diftrefs of his family, and his own exalta- 
tion, all ruflied too ftrongly upon his mind to bear any 
farther concealment. ** He cried, caufe every man to 
go out from me ; and he wept aloud." The tears 
which he fhed were not the tears of grief. They were 
the burft of afFe<flion. They were the efFufions of a 
heart overflowing: with all the tender fenfibilities of 
nature. Formerly he had been moved in the fame 
manner, vrhen he fir ft faw his brethren before him. 
** His bowels yearned upon them ; he fought for a 
place where to weep. He went into his chafmber ; 



X aS^ ^ THE P£E AUTKG LIBRARY; 

and then wafhed his face and returned to them.'* At 
that period ^is generous plans were not completeda 
But now, when there was no farther occafion for con- 
flralning himfelf, he gave free vent to the ftrong emo- 
tions of his heart. The firft minifter to the king of 
Egypt was not aihamed to fliow, that he felt as a man, 
and a brother. ** He wept aloud ; and the Egyptians^ 
and the houfe of Pharoah heard him.'' 

The firft words which his fwelled heart allowed ' 
him to pronounce, are the moil fultable to fuch an af- 
fedling fituation that were ever uttered ; — ** I am: 
Jofeph; doth m.y father yet live ?" — What could he, 
what ought he, in that impaffioned 'moment, to have 
fdid more ? This is the voice of Nature herfeif,fpeaking 
her own language ; and it penetrates the heart : No 
pomp of expreffion ; no parade of kindnefs ; but 
ftrong afFeaion haftening to utter what isftrongly felt, 
" His brethren could not anfwer him ; for they were 
troubled at his prefence." Their filence is as expref- 
iive of thofe emotions of repentance and ftiame, v/hichj 
on this amazing difcovery, filled their breafts, and flop- 
ped their utterance, as the few words which Jofeph 
fpeaks, are expreilive of the generous agitations which 
ftruggled for vent within him. No painter could feize 
a more ftriking moment for difplaying ihe chara6ler- 
iftical features of the human heart, than what is here 
prefented. Never was there a fituation of more ten- 
der and virtuous joy, on the one hand; nor, on the 
other, of more overwhelming confufion and confcious 
guilt. . In the fimple narration of the facred hiftoiian^ - 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 1:51 

It Is fct before us with greater energy and higher ef- 
fea, than if it had been wrought up with all the col- 
♦ ring of the moft admired modern eloquence. 

The way of the WORLD. 



F. 



ULVTU& was a very good naturedfel- 
k)w, but is now no more. He was bred in a compt- 
ing hcufe, and his father dying juft as he was out of 
his time, left him a handfome fortune, and many 
friends to advife with. The reRnuntin which he had 
been brought up, had thrown a gloom upon his tem- 
per, which fome regarded as prudence; and,fromfucH 
confiderations, he had every day repeated offers of 
friendfhip. Such as had money, were ready to offer 
him their affiilance that way j and thofe who had 
daughters, frequently, in the warmth of affedlion ad- 
vifed him to marry. Falvius was in good ciicum« 
ftances ; he wanted neither money, friends, nor a wife i 
and therefore modeftly declined their propofals. 

He was brought to a dliferent way of thinking, by » 
fom^ errors m the m:inagement of his affairs, and fev- 
eral lofTe*^ in trade ; and he at laft confidered, that it 
was his bcft way to let his. friends know chat their of- 
fers were at length acceptable. His firil addrefs was 
to a fcrlvener, who had formerly made him frequent 
offers of money and friendfhip, at a time when, per- 
haps, he knew thofe offers would have been refufed. 
As a man, therefore, conEdent of not being rcf^red^ 



ISO THE PLEASING library; 

He requefted the ufe of an Hundred guineas for a few- 
days, as he juft then had occafion for money. •' And 
pray, Sir/' replied the fcrivener, ** do you want all 
this money ?'' *' Want it, Sir ?■ ' fays the otker, " if I 
did not v/ant it I fhould not have aiked it," " I am 
forry for that," fays the friend, "for thofe who want 
money when they borrow, will always want money 
when they fhould come to pay. Ta fay the truth. 
Sir, money is money now ; and I believe it is all funk 
in the bottom of the fea, for my part ; he that has got 
a little is a fool if he does not keep what he has got." 

Fulvius was not quite difconcerted * by this refufal, ^ 
and was refolved to apply to another, whom he knew 
was the very beft friend he had in the world. The 
gentleman wliom he now addre (Ted, received his pro- 
pofal with all the affability that could be expeded from 
generous friendfnip. " Lot me fee, you want an hun- 
dred guineas ; and pray, my dear friend, would not 
fifty anfwer ?" " If you have but nfty to fpare, Sir^ 
tmaft be contented." «* Fiifty to fpare ; I do not fay^ 
that, for T believe I have but twenty about me." 
" Then I mafl borrow the other thirty from fome oth-* 
er friend." ** And pray,", replied the friend, •' would 
it not be the beft way to borrow the whole money 
ftom that other friend, and then one note will ferve 
for all, you -know ? You know, my dear Sir, that 
you need make no ceremony with me at any time ; 
you know I am your friend ; and when*.you choofe a 
bit of dinner, or fo— — Yoti, Tom, fee the gentleman 
down. Your. won't forget to dine with ois now aad 
then* Your very humble fervaut." 



rim PLEASING LIBRARY. 131 

This treatment diftrefled, but did not difcourage 
Iiim, and he was at laft refolved to find that affiftance 
from love, which he could not have from friendfliipp 
A young lady, a diftant relation by the mother's fide, 
had a fortune in her own hands ; and, as flie had al- 
ready made all the advances that her fex's modefty 
would permit, he made his propofal with confidence. 
He foon, however, perceived, that no bankrupt ever 
found the fair one kind. She had lately fallen deeply 
in love with another, who had more money, and the 
whole neighbourhood thought it would be a match. 

Every fucceeding day now began to ftrip him of his 
former finery ; his cloaths flew piece by piece, to the 
pawnbroker's, and he feemed at length equipped in 
the genuine livery of misfortune. But ftill he thought 
himfelf fecure from aflual neceflity ; the numberlefs 
invitations he had received to dine, even after his lof- 
fes, were yet unanfwered ; .he was therefore now re- 
folved to accept of a dinner, becaufe he wanted one ; 
and in this mannerhe actually lived among' his friends 
a whole week without being openly affronted. The 
laft place he w^ent to, v/as a reverend divine's. He 
had, as he fancied, juft nicked the time of dinner, for 
he came in as the cloth was laying. He took a chair 
without being defired, and talked for fome time with- 
out being attended to. He affured the company, that 
nothing procured fo good an appetite as a walk in the 
Park, w?iere he had been that morning. He went on, 
and praifed the figure of the damafk table-cloth ; talk- 
ed of a feaft where he had been the day before, but 
that the venifon was overdone. But all this procured 



au3 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

him no invitation : finding therefore the gentleman of 
the houfe infenfible to all his fetches, he thought pro- 
sper, at lafi:, to retire, and mend his appetite 07 a kc- 
ond walk in the Park. 

O ! ye Tons of misfortune whoever you be, wheth- 
-^r in rags or in lace ; whether in Kent-ftreet or th^^ 
Mall ; v/hether at the Smyrna or St. Gile's, be advif- 
ed by a friend, never feem to want the favor which 
you folicit. Apply to every paiTion but human pity 
for redrefs : you may find permanent .relief from van- 
ity, from felf-intereil:, or from avarice, but from com- 
pauion never. The very eloquence of u poor man 
is difguiling ; and that mouth which is opened even 
by wifdom, is feldom expetSted to clofe without the 
horrors of a petition. 

If you wiih to ward off the gr'pe of poverty, you 
mufl pretend to be a ilranger to her, and ihe will at 
leaii ufe you with ceremony. If you be caught duiing 
upon a halfpenny poniager of peafe-foup and poU- 
toes, praife the wholefonienefs of your frugal repaft. 
You may obferve, that Dr, Cheyne has prefcnb^d 
perfe-broth for the gravel:; hint that you are not one 
of thofe who are always making a dciiy of your belly. 
If, again, you are obliged to wear a flinify fluff in 
themidfl of winter, be the iirtcto remark, that ftuiFs are 
very much worn at Pan's ; or, if thercj be found fome 
irreparable defovfcs in any part of your equipage, whicli 
cannot be concealed by all the arts of fitting crfelf- 
legged, coaxing, or derniDg, fay, that neiiher )ou nor 
Surnpi^^n^ ^Gideon were ever very .nond cf drcfs. If 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 135 

you be a philofopher, hint that Plato or Seneca are 
tlie taylors you choofe to employ ; affure the company 
tliat man ought to be content with a bare covering, 
lince what now Is fo much his pride, was formerly his 
fiiame. In fhort, however caught, never give out ; 
but afcribe to the frugality of your difpofition what 
others might be apt to attribute to the narrownefs of 
your circumftances. To be poor, and to feem poor, 
IS a certain method never to rife : pride in the great, 
is hateful : in the wife, it is ridiculous ; but beggarly 
pride is a rational vanity, which I have been taught to 
applaud and excufe. 

The penitent GHOST, or wonderful STRAT- 
AGEM. 

J AOK WILDING, the fon of a late worthy cit- 
izen, was contra(fted, by the mutual confent of tlie pa- 
rents, to Mifs Seymour the daughter of a very refpe<5l- 
able merchant ; but fuch was the wild infatuated dif- 
pofition of the young man, that, becoming an eafy 
dupe to pleafure, he not only flighted, but totally neg- 
lecled the fair objedl of this contra(fl:— Eliza, who was 
partial to her unv/orthy intended, faw vAth. regret the 
volatile charader of her undeferving lover — for /over 
was a title he always afpired to, in hopes of render- 
ing lilm agreeable in the eyes of every young lady * 

but to Eliza, he was k/s a lover, than to thofe fair 
M 



534 ^HE PLEASING LlERAI^y. 

who were lefs v/orthy of his love-in iTiort, he was a gen- 
eral gallant, and would have taken unwarrantable lib- 
erties with Mifs Seymour, had not her delicacy and 
virtue prudently defended themfelves. 

Wilding, upon the death of his father, became more 
and more the libertine; while fuch was Mifs Sey- 
mour's fituation, that fhe was entirely fubje<n:, by this 
contrad, to the wavering difpofition of Wilding ; un- 
able, except upon a very fevere forfeit (which her fa- 
ther would not fubmit to) to procure a liberation, and 
be free to marry another. By fonie unaccountable 
means indeed fhe had given her heart to the man who 
thus deferred the acceptance of her hand, and by a 
cruel procraftination proved that it was never his inten- 
tion to fulfil an agreement, which unfortunately he 
%vas not compelled to, by any penalty in the^contradl, 
through the negleift of Mr, Seymour, who never fuf- 
pedted his mconftai^cy and caprice ; of this however 
the old gentleman foon repented ; and no doubt it was 
the fole occafion of his fudden death ; for he faw the 
. unhappy fate of his poor orphan child. 

Mifs Seymour, now fatherlefs, became more fubjedl 
to the inlults of Wilding ; who, laughing at her punc- 
tilious notions of virtue, made many unworthy attempts 
to injure it — however, to the great honor of Mifs Sey- 
mour be it added, all his endeavors were happily inef- 
fedual. 

The young lady being rather in a folitary fituation, 
and more in want of a female companion than many 
of her fex, now prevailed on the daughter of a late 

worthy friend of her deceafed father to remiiii wich 

• '• • r . . . . . i- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY, 235 

hcT a feW months ; hoping by her advice and aflift- 
ance not to recover — (for It never was fwori) — but ob- 
tain, and theny^a^rt? the afFedlion of this harum-fcarum 
youth. Lydia Harcourt, whofe nature was exceeding- 
ly good and fynipathetic, readily acquiefced with the 
invitation ; for fhe pitied her unfortunate companion, 
and notwith (landing her juft hatred to Wilding, was 
induced, by her tranfcendeut love for Eliza, to be both 
her conftant companion and occafional friend. 

During the vilit of Mifs Harcourt, Wilding was a 
more conftant gueft ; but the reafon foon became evi- 
dent — ^he wifhed to add to the lifts of his ruined favor- 
ites, the bofom friend and confidant of his contraded 
Eliza. One iday when Lydia was nobly interceding 
for the wronged Mifs Seym^our, and by the eloquence 
of friendfhip pleading her caufe — during which time 
the trembling Eliza was 'attentively liftening-^the 
thoughtlefs youth attributed all his negle<^, all his in- 
conftancy, to the tranfcendent beaucy of the fair ad- 
vecate. 

** Oh !'' cried he In a tone of rhapfody and well-dit 
fembled love, " how is it poffible that you can behold 
my indifference to Mifs Seymour, and not immediate- 
ly perceive the confequence, thou dear bewitching 
thief — it is thou who haft ftolen my heart, and render- 
ed me totally incapable of fulfiling the contradt with 
Eliza — ^but fmile upon me now, I conjure you, by ycur 
friendfhip for Mifs Seymour, fmile — only fatisfy my 
ardent paffion for you, and it may be the better for • 
your friend ; for by extlnguifhing the flame which has 
bc^n long, untimely kindled within my heart for you. 



150 THE PLEASING LIBRARY* 

perhaps it may be the means of kindling another (o^ 
your friend Eliza ; for then, whoever is dear to you 
fnua certainly be fo to one '^ 

Mifs HarcGurt liftened to this enthufiaftic declara- 
tion with profound attention, and when he had con- 
cluded, fhe coolly withdrew her hand, and, fmilingv 
wifhed that her friend Eliza was prefent to witnefs his 
diiTembled paffion, as thei>5 fhe was very fur e, all ef- 
teem fiie could entertain for him muft certainly be at 
an end ; and that Ihe would fuffer any thing on her 
part before ftiQ would marry him. 

This very deliberate manner of addrefs and remon- 
itnmce had no kind of effe6t upon Wilding- on the con- 
trary it only ferved to fpur him on more in his wicked 
defigns, and excite new projeds of malicious gallant- 
ry. He now proceeded to violence. Such w^as Eli- 
za's frjuation, that flie did notinterpofe — fearful if fhe- 
had difcoveredherfclf, flie would fecm to have fufpedl- 
ed the frFendfhip of Mifs Harcourt, or met with the 

ill-timed farcafms of an unthinking libertine 

However, the feafonable interruption ©f Jermy, the 
fervant, put an end at prefent to Mr. Wilding's inten- 
tion. He feemed exceedingly mortified at the intru- 
iion, and fpeedily took leave. 

Mifs, Harcourt was determined to>be revenged on 
him for this audacious attempt. She communicated 
her fentiments to Jenny, who wifhed much to invent 
fome flratagem for punilhing the prefumption of the 
youth, and make him at the fame time fenfible of the 
injury he had offered Mifs Harcourt. 



THJS PLPlASING LIBRARY. 157 

Eliza, v»ho had overheard their wlfhes to be accom- 
plices in a plot, now refolved, as fhe was moil partic- 
ularly concerned, to be herfeif the inventrefs. She ac- 
cordingly imparted her defign to a nephew of the 
late Mr. Seymour ; who, having fortunately procured 
an acquaintance with Wilding, allured her that every 
thing in his power he would, without the leafl: hefita- 
tion accomplifn. This young man, whom we iliall 
call Charles, affociated on purpofe with WiMing; feem^ 
ed an advocate for pleafure like hlmfelf and fharcd ia 
all manner of wild intoxication* 

Mifs Seymour had now moved her refidence to a 
country village, and, in order to allure Wilding to fol- 
low them, Charles (who was prudently admitted into 
the fecret) very fagaciouily laid a wager with his 
friend Wilding, that he wo*uld never accompiifh his de- 
fign over Mifs Harcourt. This ftimulated the young 
man to follow them ; and Charles, with Colonel Riot 
(who was not in the plot) were confequently his com* 
panions* . 

The place which Mifs Seymour repaired to, was a 
lonely unneighbourly town, The cottage, formerly 
a caftie, was large, wild, and difordered — a gloomy 
afpedt hung over the place, and was feeniir.gly well- 
fuited for the daring projecl which ran in her head- 
Jenny, and Tom a m.aa-fervant, were the only aitend- 
ants which flie took. 

Wilding, in order to gain his purpofe over Mifs. 

Harcourt, attempted to bribe Jeimy. This fagacious- 

girl, to avoid fiifpicion, accepted his mvoney (v.^hich 

was rather templing, being plentifully cfFtiLd) \\\di 

little or no ^eludance, fcemiiig ratht:r 10 accnicfce 
M z 



1^3 TH£ PJLEASlNajLIBRAR.Y. 

•With his defigns, and inclined to give the afliftancc 
v^hich he pretended to v/ant fo much, 

Charles, on the evening intended for Wilding's bold 
effay, now under pretence of fpiriting him up to ac- 
tion, invited him to a bottle. This was the time for 
him to perform his arduous part, on which depended 
the whole (Iratagem, and this he did bcih honorably 
and fuccefsfully. He feized a happy opportunity of 
mixing opium with Wilding's Hquor, which, in addi- 
tion to the fplrits (for Charles made him drink more 
than ufual) had fuch an effe<^ over his uaderftanding, 
as to rendet him totally ii^fenfible^ and almoft dead. 

While in this honid (late of ignorant inebriation, 
Charles had the infenfible body of his friend conveyed^ 
by proper fervants, to a room which was on purpofe 
iitted up in this melancholy and wild refidence that 
Mifs Seymour had defignedly chofen : it was hung 
with black and every thing that could render it dif. 
mal and awful was mod induftrioufly executed : the 
ikuUs and bones of departed friends were here and 
there fcattered ; Memtnto m&ri feemed to be the mot- 
to of all around ; a coffin with glimmering lights was 
carefully placed before him. In ihort, the whole fcene 
was both interefting and tremendous. 

Wilding, who had been, during his trarJlation, ig- 
norant of all that was faid or done, now fnored away 
his intoxication, and fuddenly awaked in this room of 
horror ; he rubbed his eyes, for fome time gazing with 
wonder around, then doubtful that he was yet awake, 
hi lubbed again ; he looked at the fkulls ; took them 



IHE Pi EASING lirRARY. 7^ 

up m his hands, then gazing at the arms and legs 
he went to the door, behed two mutes who looked - 
horror and death $ he (poke to them, but they gave 
no anfwer, nor feemed to perceive him ; he returned^ , 
walked about, beheld the coffin ; this roufed his curt- 
ofity ; he read the fupei-fcrlption, and was no doubt 
aftoniflied to find thvt John Wilding (hlmfelf) died 
fuddenly the very day that he was drinking with his 
friend Charles. This amazed him ; he could not be- 
lieve his eyes, and indeed no wonder ; he was however 
refolved to examine more clofely into the matter, and 
endeavored to open the coffin for the pleafure of fee- 
ing his own dead body ; but herein he was difappoint- 
td ; for the projedlors of the fcheme- had it fo well 
fcrewed down, that all his ability was in vain ; now, 
in a (late of melancholy refledion, he ftood Tome time | 
at laft Mifs Seymour and her confidant entered in deep 
Tnouming ; he addreffed them, but they took no no- 
tice of him ; he fpoke to them, but they did not an- 
fv/er ; and, when they did break filence, their words 
were entirely foreign to the queflions propofed. 

« I will — cried Mifs Seymour in a fit of feeming 
diilradion — I will give vent to my forrow and bewail 
the untimely death of this poor youth.'^ 

** No, don't,'* cried Wilding, ** look at me, I am 
not dead, upon my foul." 

Totally indifferent to Mr. Wilding's requefl, flie 
mourned moft pientifnily over the coffin, and now and 
then would ftare him in the face, to convince him that 
fee did not fee him. 



140 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

" Come away ;" exclaimed Mtfs Harcourt, who 
nader pretence was admlniftering all the confolation in 
her power, " come, you did not know the charader of 
this man, or you would not now lament his deferved 
fate ; he had the impudence (I would not confefs it 
to you, my dear, only he is now dead and gone) to 
attack even my virtue, and feek my utter ruin ; laft 
night I am told he had determined to complete his evil 
purpofe ; and heaven (I am fure) infiiaed this punlfii-"* 
ment upon him, for which I muft ahvays be thankful, 
to frultrate his dangerous defign ; otherwife he would 
not fo fuddenly have died of that fmall cruil of breads 
which I am told ftuck in his throat.'^ 

« Speak not fo harfiily I conjure you,'' cried Mifs. 
Seymour, " he was young, and farely youth is fome 
plea for his foibles ; look at his coffin, he is no more 
than twenty, poor young man, had he lived, no doubt,, 
he would have atoned for all his errors," 

** Perhaps, my dear, it is happier for you that he is 
now gone ; confider tliat you are thereby releafed 
from a deteriable contradl, you are free, and I am 
fure, if men fufFer puniQiment after their death, he 
muft feel now for his cruel treatment to you, and his 
wicked defigns upon me/* 

«< Suffer !'' echoed Wilding, "dear! dear! I be- 
lieve I fnall always be in hell.'' 

Jenny now entered, and feemed to bewail with e* 
qual -narrow the untimely fate of poor Wilding : he- 
did a)! in his power to fhew himfelf, but fuch was his». 
misfortune, he could not appear to any 5 it was now 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 141 

Jeimy difcovered his intention of procuring admittance 
to Mifs Harcourt by the bribes he had given her ; in 
ihort, all his fins and iniquities feemed to ftare him in 
die face, and rife, as it were, in judgement againil 
him. 

The fervant man brought in word that the under- 
taker was ready to inter the body ; they all prepared, 
as mourners, to attend this awful funeral, even Charles 
now appeared in fable drefs with watery eyes ; the la- 
dies went out firft, and Wilding, who was left alone 
with his companion, endeavored all in his power to 
appear to him, but to no efFe(5l, he could not, for he 
would not fee him. 

" Well by the — no I won't fwear as I am dead,'* 

exclaimed Wilding, " but ' by my foul, for that is 
dill living, if you won't hear me, you fliali feel 
me." * 

Upon this Wilding^ gave Charles a mofl violent 
knock on the head, but, happily, the other attribut- 
ed it to a fudden head-ach, and convinced poor. Wild-? 
ing that he was a penitent ghoft indeed* 

The difmal fituation of our hero cannot be defcrib* 
ed, particularly when he faw Charles, his bofom friend, 
preparing to pay his fad refpedls to his fuppofed re- 
mains — The women, Mifs Seymour, Mifs Harcourt, 
and Jenny, went into one coach. Wilding refolved to 
be among them, and, both out of refpe^: to them, and 
love for the memory of himfelf, joined them in this 
ftrange excurfion — the ladies artfully took no notice of 
his entering the carriage, and he fat between Eliza 



3:4^ THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

arid Lydia, who alternately lamented his fate, partic- 
ularly the latter, who hoped (with a ferious face while 
gazing inattentive to him) that heaven would have pi- 
ty on his youth, and forgive him the manifold crimes 
that he was guilty of. 

<* But, alas !^' continued Mifs Harcourt, ** when 
I think on the heinous vices he has been guilty of^ 
I f«ir that brimftone and fire mull be his eternal ' 
lot — " 

*' Heavea deliver me," ejaculated the terrified 
Wilding, who became confcious of the fins he had 
committed, and was - rather apprehenfive of future 
punifhment, - 

In this afFe(fting m.^nner the company proceeded ; 
■while Jenny, who fat oppofite to Wilding, was railing 
violently againft his juvenile follies, the tender Eliza 
befeeching her to defift, for this was no time to war 

with the dufl While thus they were adding flill 

tO'the terrots of Wilding, to complete both his aflon- 
ifhment and perturbation, they fung the following 

DI R G E. 

fafewcl, farcwel, my love, my heart t- 

Poor Jack, 

Poor Jack, 

Is 'flown away ! 

Alack, 

Alack, 

A&4 weli»»-day 1 



THE PLEASING LIBRARX. X43 

Adieu, adieu, dear foul, dear youth ! 

Poor Jack, 

Poor Jack, 

Is fhatch*d away 

By tyrant death*s devouring tooth I 

Alack, 

Alack, 

And ^ well-s^day ? -» 1 

They now defcended from their coaches m folemn 
and filent forrow ; Wilding approached the ground 
where he faw himfelf laid. The funeral rites (being 
on purpofe paid for by Mifs Seymour) were duly per- 

, formed, and Wilding was left in the church-yard to 

^ bewail his difmal and untimely end. 

Now was the time when this tinfortunate youth be- 
gan to repent ; now was the lime when he faw his fol- 
lies, and wifhed himfelf alive again, that he might lead 
a new life. Eliza, who had fo contrived that he 
fhould be left behind, returned. as it were to mourn o- 
ver the remains of her dear but unworthy inconftant 

Wilding beheld her weil-difFembled grief ; he 

..looked at her, and wept likewife— — —She, with fea- 
fonable cunning, ftarted at his appearance 

" Good heaven 1" exclaimed (he, " it is — :it is the 
fhade of Mr. Wilding- — '' 

Wilding was happy that fiie faw him— -he confefled 
that he was that unfortunate youth that was juft now 
buried; he implored her forgivnefs, and earneftly 
prayed that fhe vrould intercede for him with her 
friend, and procure his. pardon for the infults he had 
. offered ; '< this perhaps may be the m^ans (he. added) 



144 EHT PLEASING LIBRARY. 

of rendering me fome reft ; for I affure you, though 
I do fleep in this yard, I have not had one moment's 
quiet fmce I died.'' 

During this interefting fcene Colonel Riot happen- 
ed to pafs by, and, being '* ripe for fport," hailed his 
friend Wilding, whofe pallid and melancholy coun- 
tenance fomewhat aftonifiied him. 

" Heyday!" cries he, "What is the matter. 
Jack ?" 

" And do you fee me too — Oh then, my friend, 
take warning — beware of my untimely end — forbeai 
thefe unlimited bounds of pleafure — be wife ere it be 
too late." 

" Why ? why \ What the devil is the matter ? yoi: 
feem to be quite dull— you that was once all alive, 
Come, let us take a bottle together." 

« Afk me to take a bottle with you — ^What do yoi 
mean ? Confider what I am." 

" Why, what the devil are you ? I thought yoi 

were an honeft fellow -Come — Oh 1 Mifs Sey 

mour, are you here ? — So, fo, I fee what you havi 
been both at — but what an odd place you have choi 
en to meet in. Come, what's the matter with you?' 

" The matter ! Why do you afk — Why do you in 
fult me ? Oh beware, my friend, left a cruft of brea( 
may fatally explain to you what has happened ty 
-me ^' 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 145 

At this inftant Charles, who had accolnpanied Eli- 
za, and during this icene fecreted himfelf behind a 
tree, difcovered himfelf by a loud laugh — the noife of 
which furprifed Wilding; for, ilruck with every found, 
he feemed apprelieniive that the devil was coming for 

him he "was happy however to fee him in the Ihape 

of Charles his friend, who now revealed the plot ; flat- 
tering himfelf that the efFed thereof was both happy 
and fuccefsful. 

Wilding, re]oicii}g to hear that he was not dead, 
availed himfelf of the glad opportunity of repenting ; 
and changed the rites of hiffuneral to the tranquil cer- 
emonies of Hymen ; while Lydia, participating of the 
tiniverfal happinefs, made a double union by giving 
her hand to Ch^trles. 

--^XX7<XX>:;Xo(^*?|?*«(SloXXX:>=::X'XX — 

The close of LIFE. 

_^_ 

Our life is nothing but our death begun ; 
As tapers wafte the inftant they take fire. 

W HEN we contemplate the clofe of life ; the 
termination of man's defigns and hopes ; the fiknce 
tliut now reigns among thofe who, a little while ago, 
were fo bufy, or fo gay ; who can avoid being touched 
with fenfations at once aAvful and tender ? What heart 
but then warms with the glow of humanity ? In whofe 
eye does not the tear gather, on revoifing tlie ffite J. 
p affing and fhort-lived man? ' 

N 



.^,^1S '^JIE PLEASING LIBItAR.Y. 

Behold the poor man. who lays do\ni at laft th« 
^"barden of his wearifome. life. No more fhall he groan 
.under the load of poverty and toll. No more fhail he 
'hear the infolent calls of the mafter, from whom he 
received, his fcanty wages. No more Ihall he be 
r^ifed from needful flumber an his bed of draw, nor 
be hurried away from, his homely -jneal, to undergo 
..the repeated labors of the -dc^y^ "W^ile . his humble 
grave is preparing, and a few poor and decayed 
neighbours are carry irjg him thither, it is good for us 
to think, that this man too was qtir -brother ; that for 
hhn the aged and deftitute ^vife, and the needy child- 
ren, now weep ; that, , uegle<5led ^S; he was by the 
world, he poffefied perhaps both a found underftand- 
ing, and a worthy heart; andis now. carried by angels 
to reft in Abraham's bofom. — At no great diftance 
from him, the grave is opened to receive the rich and 
proud man. For, as It is faid with .emphafis in the 
parai)le, " ihe rich man alfo died, and was buried.'* 
He alfo died. His riches preventednot his, Sharing 
the fame fate with the poor man ; perhaps, tWough 
luxury, they accelerated his doom. then, indeed, 
** the mourners go about the ftre^ts ;" and while, in 
all the pomp and magnificence of woe, his funeral jp 
prepared, his heirs, impatient to examine his W;^, 
are looking on one another with jealous eyes, and 
already beginning to difpute about the divifion of his 
fubftance. — One day, we fee carried along the cofEn 
of the fmiling infant ; the flower juft nipped as It 
'began to bloifom in the parent's view : and the next 
day, v/e behold the young man, or young v;cman, 
pf blooming form and promifmg hopes, laid in an un* 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. t^f 

tirricly grave. While the funeral is attended by a 
numerous unconcerned company, who are difcouning 
to one another about the news of the day, or the ordi- 
nary affairs of life, let our thoughts rather follow to , 
the houfe of mourning, and reprefent to themfelves 
\^1iat is pafling there. There, we ihould fee a difcon» 
folate family, fitring in filent grief, thinking of the 
fad breach that is made in their little fociety ; and, 
with tears in their eyes, looking to the chamber chat. 
is now left vacant, and'to every memorial that pre- 
fents itfelf of thf ir departed friend. By fuch aiLentiori 
to cfie woth of otlurs, the felfifh hardnefs of our htiiiis 
will be gradually foftened, and melted down into hu- 
manity, - 

Another day, we follow to the grave, on$ who, in old 
age, and after a long career of life, has in full ma- 
turity funk atlaftinto reft. As we are going alorlg 
tathe manfion of the dead, it is natural for us to think, 
and to difcourfe, of all the changes which fuch a per- 
fon has feen during the courfe of his life. .He • has 
paffed, it is likely, through varieties of fortune. He 
has experienced profperty, and adverfity. He has 
feen families and kindreds rife and fall. He has feen 
peace and war fucceeding in their turns ; the face of 
his country undergoing many alterations ; and the 
very city in which he dwelt rifing, in a manner, new 
around him. After all he has beheld, his eyes are 
now clofed forever. He was becon'iing a itranger i*n 
the midft of a new fucceffion of men. A race who 
knew him not, had ariien to fill the earth. Thus 
paffes the world away. Throughout all ranks and 
condition, " one generation paffeth, and another gtu^ 



148 TBE •PLEASING LIBRARY. 

eration cometh ;" and this great inn is by turns evac- 
uated, and replenifhed, by trpops of fucceeding pil- 
grims, ~D vain and inconftant world 1 O fieetiijg and 
tranfient life ! When will the fons of men learn to 
think of thee, as they ought ? When will they learn 
humanity from the afflidions of their brethren ; or 
moderation and wifdom, from the fenfe of their ovfn; 
fugitive ftate. 

On the justice of PROVIDENCE in th£ 
DISTRIBUTION of. RICHES. 

— *4^ — 

Tc whom can riches give repute or truft, 
Content or plealure, but the good and juft ? 



Ci 



^HREMYLUSy who was an old and^ a. 
gGoJ'man, and wkhal ej^ceeding poor, being defirous 
to leave fome richco to his fon, confalts the oracle of 
Apollo upon the fubjexfl. The oracle bid him follow 
the iirft man he IKpuld fee upon his going out of the 
templt?. The perfon he chanced to fee was to appear- 
ance, an old, fordidj blind man ; but upon his follow- 
ing him from place to place, he at laft foundfcby his 
own confeffion, that he was Plutus, the god^ riches, 
and that he v/as juii come out of the houfe df a mif- 
er. Plutus further told him, that wh.en he was, ajpoy 
he ufad to declare, that as foon as he came to a^ he 
would diHribute wealth to none but virtuous and juft 
men i upoa which Jupiter, confidering the pernicious 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 149^'^ 

GOnfequences of fuch a refolution, took his figHt away 
from him, and left him to ftroU about the world in 
the blind condition wherein Chremylus beheld him. 
With much ado Chremylus prevailed upon Jiim to go 
to his houfe, where he met an old woman in a tatter- 
ed raiment, who had been his gueft for many years, 
and whofe name was Poverty. The old woman refuf- 
ing to turn out {o readily as he would have her, he 
threatened to banifh her, not only from his ow^n houfe, 
but out of Greece, if fhe made any more words upon 
the matter. Poverty on this occafion pleads her caufe 
very notably, and reprefents to her old landlord, that 
fhould (he be driven out of the country, all their trades, 
arts, and fciences, would be driven out with her ; and 
tfiat if every one was rich, they would never be fup- 
plied with thofe pomps, ornaments, and conveniences 
of life, w^hich made riches defirable. She likewlfe 
reprefented the feveral advantages which fhe beftovred 
upon her votaries, in regard to their fhape, their health, 
and their adlivity, by p^teferving them from goats, 
dpopfies, unwieldTnefs, and intemperance. But what- 
ever fhe had to fay for herfelf, ihe was at laft forced 
to move off. Chremylus immediately coiifidered 
how he might reftore Piutus to his fight ; and in order 
to do it, conveyed him to the temple of Efcullpius, 
who was famous for cures and miracles of this natilre. 
By this means Piutti:^ recovered his eyes, and began 
ro make a right ufe of them, by enriching every oiie 
that was didinguiflied by piety towards God, and 
jtidice towards man ; and at tJKe fame time by taking 
iSTftay his gift's from the impious and undcfervirigo 
N a 



J50 THE PJbEASING LIBRARY. 

This produced feveral m^rry incidents till ia the laft 
ad: Mercury defceads wich great complaints from the 
gods, that fince the 'good men were grown rich they 
had received no facriiices, which is confirmed by a 
pried of Jupiter, who enters with a remonftrance, that, 
fince thefe late Innovations he was reduced to a ftarv- 
ing condition^ and could not live upon his office., 
Chremylus, who in the beginning of the, play was re- 
ligious in his poverty, concludes with a propofal which 
v/as reliihed by. alLthe good men, who v/ere now grown 
rich as well as himfelf, ( i. e. ) that they fhould carry 
Plutus in folemn proceffion to the temple, and indall 
him in the place of Jupiten This allegory inO:rud:ed 
the Athenians in two points 5 firft, as it vindicated the 
condud of Providence in its ordinary didribution of 
wealth ; and, in the next place, as it (hewed the great 
tendency of riches to corrupt the morals of thofe who , 
poffeiTed them. 

CARAZAN's VISION : or,' social LOVE ah^ 

* BENEFICENCE recommended. 

Grafp the whole world of reafon, life, and fenfe, 
In one clofe fyflera of benevolence ; 
Happier, as kinder, in whatever degree j 
A height of blifs is height of charity. 



\^j 



'ARAZAN> the merchant of Bagdat,, 
was eminent throughout ail the Eaft for his avarice 
and wealth ; his original is obfcur^ as^hat of the fpark, 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. i^!^ ? 

which by the collifion of fteel and adamant is ftriick 
out of the darknefs ; and the patient labor of perfevcr- 
ing diligence alone had nnade him rich. It was re- 
membered, that when he was indigent he was thought 
to be generous ; and he was ftill acknowledged to be 
inflexibly juft. But whether in liiis. dealings with men 
he difcovered ii perjfidy which tempted him to put his 
truft in goiJ ; or whether in proportion as he accumu- 
lated weaitli, lie difcovered his own importance by in- 
creafe, Carazan prized it more as he ufed it lefs : he 
gradually loft the inclination to do good, as he acquir« 
ed the power ; and as tlie hand of time fcattered fnow 
upon his head, xhe freezing influence extended to his 
bcifom. 

But though the door of Cafazian was never opened 
by hofpitaiity, nor his hand by compaffion, yet fear led 
him conftantly to the mofque at the dated hours of 
prayer : he performed all the rites of devotion with 
the moft . fcrupulous pundhiality, and he had thrice ^ 
paid his vov/s at the tepnple of the Prophet, That 
devotion which arifes from the love of God,, land nee- 
e/Hirily includes the love of man, as it connects gratis 
fade with beneficence, and exalts that which was mor- 
tal to divine, confers new dignity upon goodnefs, and 
is the ob;e6t not only of affedion but of reverence. 
On the contrary, the devotion of the felfiQi, whether it 
be thought to avert the punifliraent which every one 
wifties to be inflided, or to infure it by the complica- 
tion of hypocrify with guilt, never fails to excite in- 
dignation and abhorrence. Carazan, therefore, when, 
he had locked his door, and turning round with a look 
k£ Qircuinfp*.'<ftive fufficion, proceeded to the mofque^ 



tsf Trifi PLEASING LIBRARY. 

was followed by every eye with filent malignity ; the 
poor fufpended their fupplications when he paffed by ^ 
though he was known by every pian, yet no man fal- 
uted him. 

Such had long been the- life of Carazan, aiid fudh 
was the charader which he had acquired, when notice 
Was given by proclamation, that he was removed to a^ 
magnificent building in the centre of the city ; that 
his table fhould be fpread for the hungry, and that' 
the ftranger fhould be Welcome to his bed. The mul- 
titude foon ruined like a torrent to his door, vrhere 
they beheld him diflributing bread to the hungry, and' 
apparel to the naked, his eye foftened with compafEon^ 
and his cheeks glowing with delight. Every one gaz- 
ed with afloniOiment at the prodigy ; and the mur- 
mur of innumerable voices iilcreafing like the found 
c^ approaching thunder. Carazan beckoned with his * 
hand : attention fufpended the tumult in a moment ; 
and he thus gratified the cuiiofity which procured - 
him audience.^ 

To Him who touches the mountains and they ^ 
filtoke, the Almighty and the mofl merciful, be ever- 
lafting honor 1 — he hath ordained deep to be the min- 
ifler of inftru<5lion, as his viiions have reproved me in 
the night. As I was fitting alone in my Haram,' 
with my lamp burning before me, computing the pro^- 
du'6t of my merchandise, a»d exulting in the increafc 
cf my v/ealth, I fell Into a deep fleep, and the hand of 
Him who dwells in the third heaven was upon me. 
I beheld the angel of death coming forward like i;- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY; 153 

"whirlwind, and he fmote me before I could deprecate 
tlie blow. At the fame moment I found myfelf lifted " 
from the ground, and tranfported with ^ftonifliing ra- 
pidity through the region of the air. The earth was 
cpntrafted to an. atom between ; and the ftars glowed 
round me with a luftre that obfcured the fun. The 
gate of paradife was now in fight ; and I was inter- 
cepted by a fu.dden brightnefs which no human eye 
could behold : the irrevocable fentence was now to be 
pronounced : my day of probation was pad, and from 
the evil of my life nothing could be taken away, nor 
could any thing be added to the good. When I re- 
flecled that my lot for eternity was cait, which not all 
the powers of nature could reverfe, my confidence to- 
tally forfook me 5 and w^hile I ftood trembling and fi-. 
lent, covered with confufion, and chilled with horror, 
I" was thus addrefled by the radiance that flamed be- . 
fore me. 

' " C,ara^^n, thy worfliip has> not been ac.cepted^, be- 
caufe it was not prompted by the love of God ; nel- . 
iher can thy righteoufnefs be.rewarded, becaufe it was., 
not produced by the love of man : for thy own fake 
only haft thou rendered to every man hi.s due: and 
ti^ou haft approached the Almighty only for thyfelf. 
Thou h^ft nqt. looked up with gratitude, nor round 
ihee with kindnefs. Around thee thou haft indeed' 
beheld vice and folly : but if vice Jcud foUy could juf- 
tify thy parfimony, would they not condemn the 
bo.unty of heaven ? If not upon the foolifli and the 
vicious, where fhall the fun diifufe his light, or the 
clouds diftil tWr dew..^ Where fh^ll the lips of the... 



1^4 'J^^E PLEASING LlBRjlUT.' 

j^^ring breathe fragrance, or the=hand of autumn dif^' 
fufe plenty ? Remember, Carazan that thou haft fhut ' 
GOmpaiHoii from thy heart, and grafped thy treafures ' 
with a hand of iron : thou haft-hved for thyfelf ; and, 
therefore, he'nceforth forever thou ilialt filbiill alone. 
From the light of heaven, and from the fociety of all - 
beings, fhalt thou be driven ; folitude fhall protradt the 
.lingering hours of eternity, and darknefs aggravate- 
the horror of defpair/' 

At this moment I was driven, by fome fecret and ' 
irrefiilable power, through the glowing fyftem of ere* 
at-ion, and palfed innumerable worlds in a moment. 
As I approached the verge of nature, I perceived the 
fhadows of total and boundlefs vacuity deepen before 
me, a dreadful region of eternal filence, folitude, and 
darknefs ! unutterable horror feized me. at the prof- 
pe6l, and this exclamation burfl from me with all the 
vehemence of defire. Oh 1 that I had been doomed for 
e^er to the corm7i?on receptacle of impenitence and guilt I 
their fociety nxjoiild have alleviated the tortnent of defpair^ 
and the rage of fire could rM have excluded the ccnnfort of 
light. Ori if I had been condeijined to rejide on a cornet^ 
that <ivotdd return but once in a thouf and years to the re^ 
gjons of light and life ^ the hope of thefe periods y honxjever 
dijianty ^votdd cheer 7ne in the dreary interval of cold^ and^ 
darkjtefsy and the vicifltude 'vjould divide eternity into time. 
While this thought pafTed over my mind, I loft fight 
of the remoteft ftar, and the lail glimmering of light 
was quenched in utter darknefs. The agdaies of dizi-^ 
pair increafed every moment, as every moment aug- 
ixjeated my diftance from the laft habitable world. I 



THE PLEA5ING LIBRARY. xj5 

^TefleAed with intolerable anguifh, thai when ten thou- 
fand thoufand years had carried me beyond the reach 
of all but that power who fills infinitude,.! fliould ftill 
look forward into an immcnfe abyfs of darknefs, through 
.which I-fhould ftill drive without fuccor and without 
fociety, farther and farther ftill, forever and ever. I 
then ftretched out my hands towards the regions of 

, exiftence, with an emotion that awoke me. Thus have 
I been taught to eftimate fociety, like every other blef- 
fmg, by its lofs. My heart is warmed to liberality ; 

.. and I am zealous to communicate the happinefs which 
I feel, to thofe from whom it isderived ; for the fociety 
of one wretch, whom, in the pride of profperity,! would 

, have fpurned from my door, would, in the dreadful 
folitude to which I was condemned, have been more 
highly prized than the gold of Afric, or the gems of 
Golconda. 

Attliis refleclion upon his dream, Carazan became 
fuddenly fdent, and looked upwards in an ecftacy of 
gratitude and devotion. The multitude was ftruck at 
once with the precept and the example ; and the Ca- 
liph, to whom the event was related, that he might be 
liberal beyond the power of gold, commanded >t t^ 
be recorded for the benefit of pofterity. 



25^ THE PLEASING LIBRARY, 



T«E PASSIONS' -AN GDE. 



w, 



HEN Music, heav'nlymaid ! was yeuTi'g? 
While yet in early Greece fte fung. 
The Passions, oft, to hear her fnell, 
Throng'd around her magic cell, 
Exulting, trembling, raging, fainting, / 

Poffeft beyond the Mufe's painting. -^ 

By turns they felt the glowing mind 
Difturb'd, delighted, rais'd, refin'd. 
Till once, 'tis faid, when all were fir'd, 
FilPd with fury, rapt, infpir*d, 
From the fupp or ting myrtles round 
They fnatch'd^her inftruments of found : 
And, as they oft had heard apart 
•'Sweet leiTons di her forceful art, 
Each, (for Madnefs ruPd the hour) 
Would prove its own exprefiive power. 

Firft Fear— his. hand, its (kill to try. 
Amid the chords bewildered laid ; 
. And back recoiPd— he knew not why ! 
. Ev'n at the found himfelf had made. 

Next Anger ruili'd— his eyes on fire. 
In lightnings own'd his fecret ilir;gs : 
With one rude clafh he (Iruck the lyre, 
^nd fwept witji hurried hand the ftririgs. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. i^^y 

With woful meafures wan Despair- 
Low, Allien founds, his grief begullM ; 
A folemn, (Irange, and mingled air ! 
'Twas fad by fits — by ftarts 'twas wild. 

But thou, O Hope ! with eyes fo fair. 
What was thy delighted meafure ? 
♦Still it whifper'd promised pleafure, 

And bade the lovely fcenes at diftance hail ! 
Still would her touch the drain prolong ; 

And, from the rocks, tlie woods the vale>, 
-She calPd on Echo ftill through all her fong. 

And where her fweeteft theme fhe chofe, 
A foft refponfive \''oIce was heard at ev'ry clofe, 
And Hope enchanted fmiPd, and Avav'd h^ gold- 
en hair, 
x^nd longer had ihe fung — ^but, with a frown, 

Revenge impatient rofe : 
He threw his blood-ftain*d fword in thunder down. 

And, with a withering look. 

The war-denouncing trumpet took ; 

And blew a biaft fo loud and dread, 
Were ne'er prophetic founds fo full of woe : 

And ever and anon he beat 

The doublinor drum with furious heat, 

o 

And though fomctimes, each dreary paufe be- 
tween, 
Dejedled Pity, at his fjde. 
Her foul-fubduing voice applied. 
Yet flill he kept his wild imalter'd mien, 
While each fllain'd ball of fight feem'd blirflittg 
from his h^ead, 
O 



^ja THE PLEASING LIBRARY, 

Thy numbers, Jkalousy. to nought were fix^d-i 

Sad proof of thy diftrefsful ilate ! 
.Of diixerent themes the veering fong was mix'd ; 
Aad now it courted Love — then, raving, calFd 
on Hate. 

With eyes uprais'd, as one infpir'd ; 

Pale Melancholy fat retir'd ; 

And, from her wild fequefter'd feat, 

In notes, by diftance made more fweet? 
Pour'd through the mellow horn her penfive foul 

And, dafhing foft from rocks around, 

Bubbling runnels joined the found. 
Through glades and glooms the mingled meafure 

ftole ; 
Or o*er fome haunted fir earn, with fond delay, 

Round an .iioly calm diffufmg, 

Love of peace and lonely mufmg, 
In hollow mur^murs died away. 
But O bow alterM was its fprightlier tone, 
When CH£s,RFULNEss,,a n}vmph of healthieft hue^ 

Her bow acrofs her fhoulder Jung, 

Her buikins gem.m'd with morning dew, 
Blew an infpiring air, that dale and thicket rung, 
The liunler's call — to Fawn and Dryad known f 
The oak-crown'd fiflers, and their chafte-ey'd 
queen. 

Satyrs and Sylvan boys, were feen 

Pi^eping from forth their allies green. 

Brown Exercife rejoiced to hear ; - 
Aad Sport leap'd up, and feiz'd hrsbeechen fpeari 

JLdii came Joy's extatic trial :' 
He, with viny crown advancing, 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY, i^s¥ 

Tlrft to the lively pipe his hand addrefs'd ; 
But foon he faw the briik awak'ning viol, 

iVhofe fweet entrancing voice he lov'd the h/^Jl. 

'they would have thong^ht, who heard the drain, 
They faw in Tempe's vale her native maids, 
Amidft the the feftal founding (hades, 

To frme un weary M minftrel dancing ; 

While, as his flying fingers kifs'd the ftrings, 

Love frani'd with Mirth a gay fantaftic rounds 

Loofe were her treffes feen, her zone unbound ; 
And he amidft his frolic play, 
As if he woTvld the charming air rcr:vy, 

Shook thoufand odors from his dewy wings. 

6 Tvfusic, fphere-defcended maid 1 
Friend of pleafure wifdom's aid, 
Why, Goddefs, why to us deny'd ? 
I^ay'ff thou thy ancient lyre afide ? 
As in that lov'd Athenian bow'r, 
You learn'd an all-commanding pow'r. 
Thy mimic foul, O nymph endearM I 
Can well recal what then it heard. 
Where is thy native fimple heart, 
Devote to Virtue, Fancy, Art ? 
Arife, as in that older time. 
Warm, energetic, chafte, fublime ! 
Thy wonders, in that godlike age, 
Fill thy recording fifter's page. 
'Tis faid — and I believe the tale — 
Thy humbleft reed could more prevail, 
Had more of ftrength, diviner rage, 
Than all which charms this laggard age ^ 
E'en stll at once together found 



»do THE FLEA:?ING library. 

Cecilia's mingled world of foundc 
O bid our vain endeavors ceafe ! 
Revive the juftdefigns of Greece! 
Return in all thy fimple ftate : 
Confirm the tales her fons relate ! 



On the HEAD.DRESS of the LADIES. 

HERE is not fo variable a thing in na-. 
%ure as a lady's head-drefs : within my own memory, 
I have known it rife and. fall above thirty degrees. A- 
bout ten years ago it (hot up to a very great height, in- 
ibmuch that, the female part of our fpecies were much 
taller than the men. The women were of fuch an e- 
normous ftature, that " we appeared as grafshoppers 
before them.'' At prefent, the whole fex is in a man- 
ner dwarfed, and fhrunk into a race of beauties that 
{qqui almoft another fpecies. I remember feveral la- 
dies who were once very near feven feet high, that at 
prefent want fome inches of five : how they came to 
be thas curtailed, I cannot learn : whether the whole 
fex be at prefent under any penance which we know 
nothing of, or whether they have caft their head-dref- 
fes, in order to farprife us with fomething in that kind 
which ihall be entirely new ; or whether fome of the 
talleft of the fex, being too cunning for the reft, have 
contrived this method to make themfelves appear fize- 
able, is ftill a fecret ; though I find moft are of opin- 
ion, they are at prefent like trees. new lopped andpm- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. i6l 

ned, that will certainly fprout out, and floiirlfh with 
greater heads than before. For my own part, as I do 
not love to be inlulted by women who are taller than 
myfelf, I admire the fex much more in their prefent 
humiliation, which has reduced them to their natural 
dimenlions, than when they had extended their perfons, 
and lengthened themfelves out into formidable and gi- 
gantic figures, I am not for adding to the beautiful 
edifices of nature, nor for raifing any whimfical fuper- 
ftru(5lure upon her plans ; I mud therefore repeat it, 
that I am highly pleafed witli the coiffure now in fafli- 
ion, and think it fnews the good fenfe which at pre- 
fent very much reigns among the valuable part of the 
fex. One may obferve that women in all ages have tak- 
en more pains than men to adorn the outfide of their' 
heads ; and indeed I very much admire, that thofe ar- 
chiteds, who raife fuch powerful ftruflures out of rib- 
ands, lace, and wire, have not been recorded for their 
refpedive inventions. It is certain there have been a^ 
many orders in thefe kind of buildings, as in thofe wh^ch 
have been made of marble; fometimes they rife in the 
fhape of a pyramid, fometimes like a tower,' and fome- 
times like a ileeple. In Juvinile's time, the building, 
grew by feveral orders and (lories^ as he has very hu- 
liioroufly defcribed it. — ^ — 

With curls on cnrls they build her head heforc, 
And mount it with a formidable tow'r ; 
A giuntefs fhe feems; but look behind, 
And then fae dwindles to the pigmy kind. 

Eiu I do not reinember, in any part of my reading, that 
the head- drefs afpired to fo great an extravagance, as in 
o % 



J 6a THE PLEASING LIBR-^niY. 

the fourteenth century; when it was built up in a coupte 
of cones or fpires, which flood fo exceffively high on 
each fide of the head, that a woman, -who was but a 
pigmy without her head-drefs,. appeared like a Coloflus 
upon putting it on. Moniieur Paradin fays, "That 
thefe old fafhioned fontages rofe an ell above the head, 
that they were pointed like fteeples, and had long loofe 
pieces of crape faftened to the tops of them, which 
\vere curioufiy fringed, and hung down their backs 
like fireamers/' 

The women might poffibly have carried this Gothic 
building much higher, had not the famous monk, 
. Thomas Connedte by name, attacked it v/ith great 
Zealand refolution. This holy man travelled from 
place to place to preach down this monHrous com- 
jrnode ; and fucceeded fo well in it, that, as the magi- 
ci|n£ facrifice. their, books to the^ flames upon the , 
preaching of an apoftlcj m.any of the women threw 
down their head^-drefs. m the middk of his fermon, and 
made a bonfire of them within fight of the pulpito ~ 
He was fo renowned, as well for the fandlity of his 
life as his manner of preaching, that he had often a 
congregation of tv^enty thoufand people ; the men 
placing themfeives on the one fide of his pulpit ; and 
tiie women on the other, they appeared, to ufe the fi- 
iniiicude of an ingenious writer^ like a forefl of cedars^ 
with their heads reaching to the clouds. He fo warm- 
ed and animated the people againfl: this monftrous or- 
nament, "that it lay uiider a kind of perfecution ; and* 

whenever it appeared in public, was -pelted down by 

the rabble, who flung ftones at the perfons who wore it* . 

But, notwithflanding this prodigy vanifhed- while the.: 



THE' PJUEASING LIBRARY. 163 

preacher was among them, it began to appear again 
feme months after his departure, or, to tell it in Mon» 
fieur Paradin^s own words, " The women, that, like 
fnails in a fright, had drawn in their horns, fhot them 
out again as foon as the danger was over." This ex- 
travagance of the women's head-dreffes in that age is 
taken notice of by Monfieur d' Argentre, in the hiftory 
of Bretagne, and by other hiftorianjs, as well as tlie 
perfon I hav€ here quoted^ 

It is ufually obferved, that a good reign is the only 
proper time for the making of laws againft the exor- 
bitance of power $ in the fame manner, an exceflive 
head-drefs may be attacked the moft effectually w^ien ' 
the fafliion is againft it. I do therefore recommend - 
this paper to my female readers, by way of pr£ven- - 

liOHc 

I would defire the fair fex to confider how impoffi» ^ 
ble it is, for them to add any thing that can be orna- 
mental to what is already the mafter-piece of nature. 
The head has the moft beautiful appearance, as well 
as the higheft ftation in the human figure. Nature 
has laid out all her art in beautifying the face ; She 
has touched it with vermillion ; planted in it a double 
row of ivory ; made it the feat of fmiles and blufiies 5 
lighted it up, and enlivened it with the brightnefs of 
the eyes ; hung it on each fide with curious organs of 
fenfe ; given it airs and graces that cannot be defcrib- 
ed ; and furrounded it with fuch a flowing fliade of 
hair, as fets all its beauties in the moft agreeable light^t^ - 
in fliort, fhe fcems to have defigned the head as the cu- • 
pola to the moft glorious of her works ; and, when we 
load it with fuch a pile of fupernumerary ornaments,' 



1^4 T^'HE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

we deftroy the fymmetry of the hurna* figure, and 
foollflily contrive to call off the eye from great and 
real beauties, to childifh gewgaws, ribands, and bone** 
lace. 

-*-x>c><:>'tx:xxo©o*^c(^x::<x><xxx — 

CATHARINA ALEXOWNA. 
-^- 

V JL HE modeft virgin, the prudent wife^ 

or the careful matron, are much more ferviceable in 
life than petcicoated philofophers, bluftering heroines, 
or virago queens. She who makes her huftand and 
her children happy, who reclaims the one from vice, 
and trains up the other to virtue, is a much greater 
chara(5ler than ladies defcrlbed in romance, whofe 
whole occupation is to murder mankind with fiiafts ^ 
from their qtiiver or their eyes. — — 

Womtn, it has been obferved, ate not naturally for- 
med for great cares themfelves, but to foften ourSi. 
Their tendernefs is the proper reward for the dangers 
we undergo for their prefervation, and the eafe and 
cheerfulnefs of their converfation, our defirable retreat 
froii* the fatigjties of intenfe application. They are 
confined within the narrow limits of domeftic afii- 
duity, and when they flray beyond them, they move 
beyo-nd their fphere, and confequently without grace* 

Fame, therefore, has been very unjuftly difpenfed,. 
among the female fex. Thofe who leaft deferve to be 
remembered, meet our admiration and applaufe ; 
while many, who haye been an honor to ;hamanity, 
are pafTed over in Hleneee- Perhaps no age has prodiic- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. iSj 

ed a ftronger mftance of milplaced fame than the 
prefent : the Semiramwr and the Thaleftrifs of anti- 
fjuity are talked of, while a modern charadter, infin- 
itely greater than either, is unnoticed and unknown. 

Cathrina Alexowna, born near Derpat, a little city 
in Levonia, was heir to no other inheritance than the 
virtues and frugality of her parents, rf^r father be- 
ing dead, flie lived with her aged mother, in their cot- 
tage covered with ftmw ; and both, though very poor^ 
were very contented. Here retired from the gaze of 
the world, by the labor of her hands Ihe fupported her 
parent, who was nov/ incapable of fupporting herfelf. 
While Catharina fpun, the old woman would fit by^, 
and read forae book of devotion ; thus, when the fa- 
tigues of the day were over, both would fit down con- 
tentedly by their fire-fide, and enjoy the frugal meal 
with vacant feftivity. 

Though her face and perfon were models of perfec- 
tion, yet her whole attention feemed beftowed upon her 
mind ; her mother taught her to read, and an old Lu- 
theran minifter inftruded her in the maxims and du- 
ties of religion. Nature had furni{hed her not only 
with a ready, but a folid turn of thought, not only with 
a ftrong, but a right underftanding. Such truly fe- 
male accomplifhments procured her feveral foliclta- 
tions of marriage from the peafants of the country ; 
but their offers were refufed ; for fne loved her mo- 
ther too tenderly to think of arfeparation. 

Catharina was fifteen when her mother died : flie 
now, therefore, left her cottagje, and went to live with 



tU THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

the Lutheran minider, by whom (he had been mftru'^ 
ed from her childhood. In ^s houfe Ihe refidedy in 
quality of governefs to hrs children ; at once rec^on-i 
clling in her charader unerring prudence with fur- 
prizing vivacity. 

The old man who regarded her as one of his owii' 
children, had her inftrufted in dancing, and mufic, 
by the mafters who attended the reft of his f^Jtnily. 
Thus fhe continued to- improve, till he died ; by v^hich 
accident fhe was once more reduced to her priftine 
poverty. The coufitry of Levtrnia w^s at this time 
wafted by war, and -lay in a m^ft miferable ftate of 
defolation. Thofe calamities are ever moft heavy up- 
on the poor ; wlierefore Catharina, though poffeffed of 
fo many accompliihments, experienced all the mife- 
ries of, hopelefs indigence. Provifions becoming ev- 
ery day more fc arce, and her private ftock being en- 
tirely exhaufted, fhe refolved at laft to travel to Ma- 
rienburgh, a city of greater plenty. 

With her fcanty wardrobe, packed up in a wallet^ 
ihe fet out on her journey, on foot. She was to walk 
through a region miferable by nature, but rendered 
ftiil more hideous by the Swedes and Ruffians, who> 
as each happened to become mafters, plundered it at 
difcretion ; but hunger had tamght her to defpife the 
dangers and fatigue5 of the way. 

One evening, upon her journey, as fhe had entered 
a cottage by the way-fide, to take up her lodgings for 
the night, fhe was infulted by two Sweedifh foldiers 
who infifted upon qualifying her, as they termed it^ 
ta follow the camp. -They raight, probably, have 



I^^E PLr£A&ING LIBRARY. r6/ 

parried their infults into violence, had not a fubaltern 
ofFicer, accidentally paffing by, come to her affiilance. 
Upon his appearing, the foldiers immediately defiil- 
ed : butjier thankfulnefs was hai'dly greater than 
her furprife, when flie iiiflantly recolleded, in her de- 
liverer, the fon of the Lutheran miniiler, her former 
inIlru6lor, benefactor and friend. 

This was an happy interview for Catharina. The 
little flock of money fhehad brought from home was by 
this time quite exhautled ; her cloihes were gene, piece 
by piece, in order t© fatisfy thofe who had entertained 
,her in their houfes ; her generous countryman, there- 
fore, parted with what he could ^are, to buy her 
clothes, furniilied her with a horfe, and gave her let- 
ters of recornxmendation to Mr. Gluck, a faithful 
friend of his father, and fuperintendant of Marien- 
, burgh. 

Our beautiful ftranger had only to appear to be well 
received : flie was immediately admitted into the fu- 
perintendant's family, as governefs to his two daugh- 
ters ; and, though yet but leveiueen, ihewed herfclf 
capable of inftructing her fex, not only in virtue, but 
politenefs. Such wab her good fenfeand be^iuty, that 
lier mafter himfelf in a lliort tim.e offered her his hand, 
which to his great furprife {lie thought proper to re- 
fufe. Aduated by a principle of gratitude, Ihe was 
refolved to marry her deliverer ouly, even though he 
had left an arm, and was other wife disfigured by 
-wounds, in the fervice. 

Jn order, therefore, to prevent further folioitatioa& 



, 2:68 THS PjLEASlNtJv LIBRJtRY, 

from others, as foon as the officer came to town upon 
duty, flie offered him her perfon, which he accepted 
with tranfport ; and their nuptials were folemnized as 
ufaal. But all th« lines of her fortune were to be 
flriking : the very day on which they Were marriedj 
the Ruffians laid fiege to Marienburgh. The unhap- 
py foldier had now no time to enjoy the well-earned 
pleafures of matrimony ; he was called off before 
confummation to an attack, from which he was nev- 
er after feen to return. 

In the mean time, the fiege went on with fury, ag-- 
gravated on one fide by obftinacy, on the other by re- 
venge. This war between the two northern powers at 
that time was truly barbarous 5 the innocent peafant 

.. and the harmlefs virgin often iliared the fate of the 
foldier in arms. Marienburgh was taken by affault ; 

. and fuch was the fury of the affailants, that not only 
the garrifon, but almoil all the inhabitants, men, wo- 
men, and children, were put to the fwoird. At length, 
when the carnage wasL pretty well over, Catharina was 
found hid in an oven. 

She had been hitherto poor, but ftill was free; the 
' was now to conform to her hard fate, and learn what 
it was to be a flave : in this fituation, however, ihe be- 
haved with piety and humility ; and, though misfor- 
tunes had abated her vivacity, yet ilie was cheerfuL 
The fame of her merit and refignation reached even 
Prince Menzikoff, the Jluffian General : he delired to 
fee herj was ftruck with her beauty, bought her from 
the foldier, her mafter,-and,placed her under the direc- 



THE PLFASING LIBRARY. i6'<> 

tion of his own fifter. Here flie was treated with all 
the refpea which her merit deferved, while her beauty 
every day improved with her good fortune. 

She had not been long in this iituation when Peter 
the Great paying the Prince a vifit, Catharina happen- , 
ed to come in with tome dry fruits, which Ihe ferved 
round with peculiar m.odefty. The mighty monarch 
faw, and was llruck with her beauty. He returned 
the next day, called for the beautiful fiave, aiked her 
feveral queftions, and found her underflanding even 
more perfect than her perfon. 

He had been forced, when young, to marry from 
motives of interelt ; he was now refolved to marry 
purfuant to his own inclinations. He immediately 
enquired the hiftory of the fair Levonian,who was not 
yet eighteen. He traced her through the vale of ob- 
fcurity, through ail the viciintudes oFher fortune, and 
found her truly great in them all. The meannefs of 
her birth was no obftrudion to his defign ; their nup- 
tials were folemnized in private : the Prince afTuring 
his courtiers, that vinue alone was the propereft lad- 
der to a throne. 

We now^ fee Catharina, from the low, mud-walled 
cottage, Emprefs of thegreateft kingdom upon earth. 
The poor folltary wanderer is now furrounded by 
thoufands, who had happineis in her fmile. vSht who 
formerly wanted a meal, is now c:-ipablc of diflufin^^ 
plenty upon whcle nations. To her fortu'^e (he. ow^d 
a. pan of this pre- eminence, but to her virtues TL'Ore. 



\7c THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

She ever after retained thofe great qualities whicii 
fir ft placed her on a throne ; and while the extraordi- 
nary prince, her hufband, labored for the reformation 
of his male fubjedls, fhe (ludied, in her turn, the im- 
provement of her own fex. She altered their dreffes, 
introduced mixed ailemblies, iniiituted an order of fe- 
mak knighthood ; and, at length, when fhe had great- 
ly filled all the flations of em.prefs, friend, wife, and 
mother, bravely a'ied without regret — regretted by 
all. 

— xx>">i::::<xxo^^«Q)»xxxxxxx — 

On spending time. 

— ^v_ 

,>Live well, and then how foon foe*er you diCs 

Thou art of age: to claim Eternity. 

JL HE human fpecies only, to the great 
reproach of our nature, are filled v/ith complaints, 
that the day 'hangs heavy on them, that they do not 
know what to do with themfelves, that they are at a lofs 
how to pafs' away their time, Vv^ith many of the like 
Ihamefui murmurs, which we often find in the mouths 
of thofe who are fliled reafbnable beings. Howmon- 
ilrous are fuch expreflions among creatures who have 
the labors of the mind, as vvell as thofe of the body, 
to farnifh them v>^ith proper employm-ent ; who, befides 
i-the bufmefs of their refpeclive callings and profeffionSj 
can apply themfelves to the duties of religion, to med- 
itation, to the reading of ufeful books, and to difcourfe; 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. iji 

n\. a word, who imay exeixife themfelves in the un- 
bounded purfuits of knowledge and virtue, and every 
hour of their lives make themfelves wifer cr better 
thaft they were before* 

After having for fome time been taken up with 
this courfe of thought, I diverted myfelf with a book, 
according to mv uliial cuilom, in order to unbend my 
mind before I went to ileep. The book I made ufe 
of on this occafion was Lucian, where I amufcd mv 
thoughts^ for about an hour among the dialogues of 
the dead, which, in all probability, produced the fol- 
lowing dream \ 

I was conveyed, raethought, into the entrance of the 
infernal regions, where I faw Rhadamanthus, one of 
the judges of the dead, feated in his tribunal. On 
his lefc hand flood the keeper of Erebus, ^6n his right 
Hand the keeper of Elyfmm. I was told he fat judge 
on women that day, there being feveral of the fex 
lately aiTived, who had not yet their mxanfions affign^ 
ed them. I was furprifed to hear him afk every one 
of them the fame queftion. What they had been do-' 
ing ? Upon this queiiion being propofed to the whole'' 
affembly, they ftared upon one another, as not know- 
ing what to anfwer. He then interrogated each of 
them feparately. Madam., fays he to the iirll of them, 
you have' been upon the earth about fifty years ; what 
have you been doing thtre all this while ? Doing ! 
fays fne, really I do not know what I have been doing : ' 
I defire I may have time given me to recolledl. Af- 
ter about half an hour^s paufe, fhe told him flie had 
been playing at crimp 5 upon which Rhadamanthus 
beckoned to the keeper on his left hand to take her 



tf% THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

into cnftody. And you, Madam, fays the judge, who 
look v/ith fuch a foft and languiihirg air, I thmk you 
fet out for this place in your nine and twentieth year, 
what have you been doing all this whriie ? 1 had a- 
great deal of bufmefs on my hands, fays ftie, being 
taken up the firil twelve years of my life in dreffing. 
a jointed baby, and the remaining part of it in read- 
ing plays and romances. Very well, fays he, you have 
employed your tirme to good purpofe : away with her^ 
The next v/as a plain country woman ; well, maftrefs, 
fays Rhadamanthus, and what have you been doing ? 
If it pleafe your Worihip, fays ihe, I did not live quite 
forty years ; and in that time brought my bufband 
{qwqw daughters, made him nine thoufand cheefes, and 
left my eldeft girl with him, to look after his houfe in 
my abience, and who I may venture to fay is as pretty 
a houfe-wife as any in the country. Rhadamanthus 
fmiied at the fimplicity of the good woman, and or- 
dered the keeper of Elyfium to take her into his care. 
And you, fair lady, fays he, what have you been do- 
ing thefe live and thirty years > I have been doing no 
hurt, Sir, I affure you, laid fhe. That is well fays 
he ; but what good have you been doing ? The lady 
was in great confufion at this que(lion,and not know- 
ing what to anfwer, the two keepers leaped out to 
feize her at the fame time ; the one took her by the 
hand to convey her to Elyfium, the other caught hold 
of her to carry her away to Erebus. But Rhadam^an- 
thus obferving an ingenuous modefty in her counte- * 
nance and behaviour, bid them both let her loofe, and 
fet her afide for re-examination when he was more at 
leifure. An old woman, of a proud and four look, 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. I7j 

prefented herfelf next to the bar, and being afl^ed 
what fhe had been doing ? Truly, fays llie, I lived 
threefcore and ten years in a very wicked world, and 
was fo angry at the behaviour of a parcel of yourig 
flirts, that I pail moft of my lafl years in condemning 
the lollies of the times : I was every day biasing the 
iilly condud of the people about me, in order to de- 
ter thofe I converfed with from falling into the like 
errors and mifcarriages. Very well, fays Rhadaman- 
thus, but did you keep the fame v/atchfui eye over 
your own anions ? Why, truly, fays ihe, I was fo tak- 
en up with pubafhing the faults of others]' that I had 
not time to confider my own. Madam, fays Rhada- 
manthus, be pleafed to file oft to the left, and' make 
room for the venerable matron that ftands "behind you. 
Old- gentlevroman, fays he, I think* you are fourfcore : 
yoii have heard -the quefnon, what have you been do- 
ing fo long in the world? Ah, Sir ! fays fhe, I have 
been doing what I fhouldnot have done ; but I had 
made a hrm refolutidn to have changed my life, if I 
^^-ad not been fiiatched off by an untimely end.' Mad-?* 
am, fays he, -you will pleafeto follow your leader ; 
and fpying another of the iame age," interrogated her 
in the fame fofm. To whom the matron replied, I . 
have been the wife of a hufband, who was as dear to 
me in hfs-old age as in his youth. I have been a moth- 
er, and very happy in my children, v^^hom I endeavor- 
ed to bring up in every thing that was good. My eld- 
eft fon is bleffed by the poor, and beloved by every one 
that knows him. 1 lived within my own family, and 
Jeft it much more wealthy than T found it. Rhada-' 



174 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

manthus who knew the value of the old lady, fmiled 
upon her in fuch a manner, that the keeper of Elyfi*. 
nm, who knew his office, reached out his hand to her. 
He no fooner touched her, but her wrinkles vanifhed, 
iier eyes fparkled, her cheeks glowed with blulhes, and 
ihe appeared in full beauty. A young woman obferv- 
ing, that this officer who conducted the happy to Ely- 
fmm, was fo great a beautifier, longed to be in his 
hands ; fo that prefflng through the crowd, flie was 
the next who appeared at the bar. And being afked, 
v/hat fhe had been doing the five and twenty years fhe 
had been in the world, I have endeavored, fays ihe, ev- 
er fmce I came to years of difcretion, to make myfeif 
lovely, and gain admirers. In order to it, IpafTed my 
time in bottling up May dew, inventing white wafhes, 
mixing colors, cutting out patches, confulting my glafs, 
fuiting my complexion, tearing off my tucker, finking 

my flays. Rhadamanthus, without hearing her out, 

gave the fign to take her off. Upon the approach of 
the keeper of ErelAs, her color faded, her face puck- 
ered up with wrinkles, and her whole perfon was loll 
in deformity. 

I was then farprifed with a diftant found of a whole 
troop of females that came forward laughing, fmging, 
and dancing. I was very defirous to know the recep- 
tion they would meet vv^ith, and withal was very ap- 
prehenfive that Rhadamanthus would fpoil their mirth: 
but at their nearer approach, the noife grew fo very 
great that it awakened me. 

I lay fome time, reflecling in myfeif on the oddnefs 
ef this dream;» and could not forbear afl^ing my own 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. r^^ 

heart what I was doing ? I anfwered myfelf, that I 
was writing guardians. If my readers make as c;ood 
a life of this work as I defign they fiiould, I hope it 
will never be imputed to me as a work that is vain 
and unprofitable. 

I fhall conckide with recommending to them the 
fame Ihort felf-examination. If every one of them fre- 
quently lays his hand upon his heart, and confiders 
what he is doing, it will check him in all the idle, or, 
what is wori€, the vicious moments of life ; lift up his 
mind when it is running on in a feries of indiiferent 
actions, and encourage him when he is engaged in thofe 
that are virtuous and laudable. In a word, it will ve- 
ry much alleviate that guilt which' the bed of men 
have reafon to acknowledge in their daily, confeffions, 
€)i leaving undone thofe things which they ought to 
have done, and of doing thofe things which they ought 
not CO have done. 

■-— XXXX\:<XX<©a'^oi©»XXX:::<X:x':x^ — 

RELIGION AND DEATH, 



L. 



I O I a form divinely bright 
Defcends, and burfts upon my fight ; 
A feraph of illuftrious birth ! 
(Religion was her name on earth ;) 
Supremely fweet her radiant face, 
And blooming with celeftial grace ! 
Three ihining cherubs furin'd her train; 



i;^ ' THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

Wav'd their light wmgs, and reach'd the plaiHo 
Faith, with fiiblime and piercitig eye, 
And pinions fiutt'ring for the fky ; 
Here Hope, that fmiling angel, ftands, 
And golden anchors grace her hands j 
There Ghajify, in robes of white, 
Faireft and fav'rite maid of light ; 

The feraph fpoke-—^' ^Tis Reafon's part " 
To govern and to guard the heart ; 
To^Iull the wayward foul to reft, 
When hopes' and fears dlftracSl: the breaft» 
Reafon may calm this doubtful ftrife, 
And fleer thy bark through various life z 
But when the ftorms of 'death are nigh, 
And midnight darknefs veils the fky. 
Shall Reafonthen dired thy fail, 
Bifperfe the clouds, or fmkthe gale? 
Stranger, this ikill alone is mine, 
Skill that tranfcends his fcanty line/' 

*« Revere thyfelf— ^thou'rt near allied 
To angels on thy better fide. 
How various e'er iheit ranks or kinds^ ' 
Angels are but unbodied minds : 
"When the partition-walls decay. 
Men emerge angels from their clay. 
Yes, when the frailer body dies, 
The foul afierts her kindred ilcies. 
But min<jri, though fprung-from heavenly race^ 
Muft fir ft be tutor 'd for the place: 
The joys above are underftood, 
And relifli'd only by the good. 
Who fhall affame this guardian care ; 
Who fti^llfecure their blni>right there.?' 



THE PLEASiNG LIBRARY. ijf 

Souls are my charge — to me 'tis giv'n 
To train them for their native heav'n." 

"Know then — who bow the early knee^ 
And give the willing heart to me ; 
Who wifely, when Temptation waits, 
Elude her frauds, and fpurn her baits ; 
Who dare to own my injur'd caufe, 
Though fools deride my facred laws ; 
Or fcorn to deviate to the wrong, 
Though Perfecution lifts her thong ; 
Though all the fons of hell confpire 
To raife the (lake and light the fire ; 
Know, that for fuch fuperior fouls, 
There lies a blifs beyond the poles ; 
V/here fpirits fhine with purer ray ;> 
And brighten to meridian day ; 
Where love, where boundlefs friendfhip rules:, 
(No friends that change,, no love that cools ;) 
Where lifing floods of knowledge roll, 
And pour, and pour upon the foul !" 

" But Where's the paffage to the ikies? 
The road through Death's black valley lies 
Nay, do not fhudder at my tale ; ^ 

Tho' dark the ihades, yet fafe the vale. 
This path the beft of men have trod ; 
And who'd decline the road to God ? 
Oil, 'tis a glorious boon to die ! 
This favor can't be prlz'd too high.'^ 

While thus flie fpoke? my looks exprefs'd 
The raptures kindling in my br^afl: ; 
My foul a fix'd attention gave ; 
When the ftern Monarch of the Grave 



r^g THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

With haughtj ftrides approach'd — amaz^'ci 
I ftood and trembled as I gaz'd. 
The feraph calm'd each anxious fear, 
And kindly wip'd the falling tear ; 
Then hatlen'd with expanded v/ing 
To meet the pale, terrific king. 
Biit now what milder fcenes arife 1 
The tyrant drops his hoftlle guife ; 
He feems a youth divmclj fair, 
His .graceful ringlets -w^yc his hair ; 
His wings their whit'ning plumes difplay 5 
His burniili'd plumes reflet the day ; 
Light flows hirs fkining azure veil, 
And ail the angel ilands confefsM. 

I view'd tho change with fweet furprife ^ 
And, Oh ! I panted for the flr.ies ; 
Thank'd Heav'n, that e'er I drew my breath . 
And triumph'd in the thoughts of Death. 



CHARGE DELIVERED by PRESIDENT 

MAxcY, to the GRADUATES of the 
COLLEGE, RHODE ISLAND, Sept. 4, 
^793- •■• 



A> 



-#- 



.DVICE from the young appears like 
an intrufion on the rights of age and experience. It 
is not, therefore, without the moft anxious concern 
tha^T rife to addrefs you ^ efpecially when I confider- 



THE ^LEASING LIBRARY. jt.?^ 

,Khe fplendid abilities of thofe great men, who on fim- 
liar occafions have ftood in this place. They needed 
not for an apology the admonition of Paul, <* Let no 
man defpife thy youth." 

The attachment, to which your conduct has given 
birth, forbids me to let you depart without exprefiing 
my folicitude for your welfare. This day prefents to 
you a new fcene cf things. It brings you from the re- 
treats of fcience, and places you onthe theatre of a<51ion«, 
It commences your public exiftence. As the firft im- 
preffions which your abilities and conduct will make 
on the minds of men will be lailing, it will be your in-, 
t ere ft to be careful that they be favorable. Errors in 
condudl, when you are firft thrown on the public eye^ 
will be critically noted ; and, of confequenc^, will 
create prejudices, which in any ftibfequent period df 
life a knowledge of your abilities would prevent. 
Hence you cannot be too folicitpws after the advice of 
aged, experienced men. You canpot be too anxious to 
know your duty, nor too adive to perform it. A fear 
to do wrong, and a defire . to do right, are brilliant 
traits in the character of the young. In the firft part 
of life, when our paffions are winged with fire, we 
are too apt to defpife counfel, and to follow our own 
rafti refolutions. Hence we unavoidably run into er- 
rors, becaufe deftitute of that knowledge which no- 
thing but experience can give, and carelefs of thofe 
rules of life v/nich nothing but the wifdom of age can 
, form, and nothing but the rafcnefs of youth would re- 
jecTt. 

When you engfage in the buftntffes of life* you will 
:ive to deal with men. The ideas you have formed , 



jsJi^ THE PLEASING Li:3RA5^Y. 

.in retirement, of the manners of the world, arid the 
principles of human adion, it is probable are very er- 
roneous. Time and experience onlj can corre(5l them. 
What is commonly called the knowledge of the worlds 
of which fo niany boaft, is nothing more than the ac- 
quirement of its deceitful manners, and the practice 
of its polite vices. To travel many countries, to fee 

' many people, thefe are highly deferable ; but theft, 
without refledtion, without deep ftudy and accurate ob- 

* fervation, inftead of making a man of merit, will only 
make a fplendid fop. You muil learn- to read men as 
well as books, but read books fird. Human nature 
is a regular, though complicated m.achine. It can be 
learned by its operations only. Unlefs you know the 
fprings by which it is moved, you can never manage 
it to advantage. He will gain his point naoft eifeflual- 
ly, and govern men beft, who -pofTeffes fuch^a du6tiU' 
ty of difpofition, as will enable him to enter into the 
circumftances, ,to furvey in a true light the interefts, 
and to realize the feelings of others. In fociety, you 
-will be connected with men of different characters, dlf- 
pofitions and purfuits. You wilLiind.many ignorant 
and unreafonable ; many who are vv^ell informed, and 
a few religious ; but none who are not fond of ap- 
plaufe, and defirous of fuperiority. . If you can get 
into your liand the hopes and fears of men, you c^iii 

^ do as youplcaie. 

Perhaps the ipien.:'' :es and extenfive acquire- 

;.ments of fome, may, on |.-^nicular occadons, create a 
"temporary diicouragement, and deter yen from thnt 
jpxo^ciency which would render you ulcful, though it 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. i5x 

might not gratify your ambition. But you v/ill do 
Vi^eli to remember, that true greatnefs, and real excel- 
lency, confiR neither in the excefflve iplendor, nor ift 
the occafional difplays of genius. Men whofe fouls 
are winged with lightning, are ever fearing above the 
fphereof ufeful employment. The fierce ardor of 
their fpirit difdains attention to the ordinary duties 
aiid bufmeffes of life, from which human profpcjiiy 
and happinefs principally refult. They appear to be 
formed and de/lgned for nc thing but extraordinary 
occafions. The untameable wildnefs of their minds 
fits them to dwell in the tempeft and whirlwind. 

Than envy thefe, rather envy the virtuous, good^ 
honeil man. Men who poffefs talents a little above 
jnediocrity, generally make the greatefl: proficiency in 
learning, and-render it the moft ufeful. 

The benefits accruing from education are not con- 
fined to the prefent world. As they belong to the 
foul, they refpcd Immortaliiy. Since the capacity of 
the mind may he enlarged, and its powers rendered 
more vigorous by cxercife, ic appears fufceptible of au 
endlefs progrefiion hi imprcvemsnt. Much is left to 
your own exertious;. God has given you talents, but 
he has given them, as he has every thing elfe to be 
improved. Confider noiiiinff as Pivinp- vcu a refcecTt- 
able fiiperiority but real kaniiiig and ptxj, Rtmcm- 
ber that all kinds of fupejiority not oiJginating in 
theic, are vain, tranfitory, unceruan ; and il:at, if the 
caufes which produ*.€ do not deflroy them, death cer- 
tainly will But as learning and piety belong lo the 
fbul^ they give a fi?pcxiciity ihat will iurvive die riiih,' 



i^% THE PLEASING LIBRAP.Y. 

of death ; a fupericrlty that will afFord permanent fat- 
isfadion, and increafe as the foul progreffes in exiftence= 
In your farther acquirements, therefore, in literature, 
confider yourfelves as ennohling your natures, and 
already treading on the ground of immortality. That 
vain fiiperiority which arifes from falfe notions of hon- 
or, from nobility of birth, or the poffeffion<)f wealth* 
is truly contemptible : byt that which arifes from 
perfonal merit, from real excellency of charader, is 
truly laudable, and worthy the moll: exalted ambition. 

Seek the grcatell attainable things In this world, but 
always feek greater in the next. Should your fitu- 
ation ever be exalted, you will be the more expofed ; 
you muil therefore be thejaiore humble and prudent, 
.The road which leads to the temple of honor is fteep 
and fiippery. Would you enter there ? be careful how 
you walk. The higher you^ afcend, the greater will 
be your dirgr;ace and rain, .if you fall. 

Never feek after fame ; for if you deferve it, it w^ill 
follow you. Be your merit ever fo great, yet you can- 
not expedl tru^ fame, while envy can hope to injure 
you. " The fun of glory never iliines but on the 
tombs of the gi-^at.'^ 

Never foffer yourfelves to form a judgment either 

of men or things, while you are under the influence 

" either of prejudice or paffion% Thefe put out the eyes 

of reafon. Give due praife to merit, whether in your 

friends or enemies. 

You come forward into life in an asra full of events^ 
which Will aftonlfn and rejoice pofterity. Man h rap- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. i8j ' 

Idly afcending to that dignified ftation for which he 
was defigned by the God of nature. The fun of lib- 
erty Ihines bright. His beams flame through Imprlf- 
oned kingdoms, to enlighten the eyes, and cheer the 
hearts of enflaved millions. That bright sera begins 
to dawn, when peace ihall diffufe her miJd influence 
through every heart, fubjc^^ling every hoftile paflion, 
and cementing all nations in one great family of broth- 
ers,* ■ Then the heart of the foldier will not leap at the 
found of war, nor the eye of tlje orphan float in tears 
for the lofs of a father flain In battle. Liberty will 
then be uncon lined as air, and glorious as that heaven 
to which Vac tends. That fair goddefs will defcend iu 
all her charms, and in one foftering grafp embrace 
every fon of Adam. Perhaps you may live to fee the 
glories of a kingdom, whofe duration will be that of 
eternity. 

Here let me caution you agalnft infidelity. Be not 
de'ceived, merely becaufe fome great men have been. 
But if infidelity can boafl: great names, Chriflianlty 
much greater, Amidfl the blaze of evidence in fa- 
vor of revelation, it requires more faith to be an inii'» 
del than would make a complete Chriitian. 

Be careful not to choofe your particular mcdiQ of 
religion in too much hafle. Bigots are as often made 
by a fudden adoption of particular fentiments, as by 
fuperftition. Neither Is wcrthy a wife man^ and both 
are difgraceful to a Chriilian. The more you exam- 
ine, the more reafon you will find for deferring an ab« 
folute decifTion refpe<fti3ig particular fyftems of reli- 



i84 THE PLEASING IJBRARY. 

gion ; the more room you will find for charity, ^nd 
confequently more for true religion:. 

As foon as men fancy themfelves infallible, imagin- 
ing that God fmiles on them, and frowns on their 
neighbours, they exclude charity, and commonly good 
manners. — You will do well to remember, that men's 
charafters are not afcertained in the fight of God by 
the particular fentim.€nts they adopt ; for many men, 
who have very bad heads, have very good hearts. 

Be ftriiflly jufl In all your dealings with men. God 
has planted a fenfe of juftice in your natures. This 
you cannot violate without an eifential injury to your- 
felves. No man can hurt another, without hurting 
himfelf at the fame time. 

I>a good to all ; for by fo doings, you will do the 
greatcil good to yourfelves. Purfue a uniform courfe 
of virtuous condud. This will unavoidably lead you 
to eminence. In fuch a country as this, true*merit 
cannot fail to diftinguifli you ; for, like the fun, it will 
always carry its own light with it. 

Time now requires me to part with you, I fmcerely 
wifh you much happinefs ; and fhall rejoice to find 
that you are ufefui and ornamental to your country. 



tkU PLEASING LIBRARY. i^S 

The rose. 
_^_ 

X HE rofe had been wafh'd, juft wafh'd in a (hower^ 
Which Mary to Anna conveyed ; 
The plentiful moifture encumber'd the flower, 
And weighed down its beautiful head. 

The cup was all fiU'd, and the leaves were all wet^r ' 
And it feem'd to a fanciful view, ' ^ 

To weep for the buds it had left with regret, 
On the flourifhing bufh where it grew. 

I haftily feiz'd it, unfit as it was 

For a nofegay, fo dripping and drown'd ; ' 

And fwinging it rudely, too rudely, alas I ' 
I fnappM it— it fell to the ground. 

And fuch, T exclaimed, is the pitilefs part, 

Some act by the delicate mind, 
Regardlefs of wringing and breaking a heart, 

Already to fonow refign'd. 

This elegant rofe, had I fliaken it lefs, 

Might have bloom'd with its owner a- while ; ' 

And the tear that is wip'd wdth a little addrefs^ ' 
May be follow'd perhaps by a finiier 



iZ& THE PLEASING LIBRARY, 



I 



THE CAPTIVE. 



SAT down clofe to my table ; and, 
leaning my head upon my hand, I began to figure to 
myfelf the miierles of confinement. I was in a right 
frame for it ; and fo I gave full fcope to my imag- 
ination. - 

I was going to begin with the millions of my fel- 
low creatures born to no inheritance but flavery : but 
finding, however afFcding the picture was, that I could 
not bring it near me, and that the multitude of fad 
groupes in it did but diftradt me — I took a fmgle Cap- 
tive ; and, having firft ihut himupin his dungeon, I 
looked through the t^^ilight of his grated door to take, 
his picture. 

I beheld his body half walled away with long.ex-^ 
pe6iation and confinement, and felt what kind of fick- 
nefs of the heart it was which arifes from " h-ope de- 
deferred." Upon looking nearer, I faw him pale and 

fevcriih. In thirty years the weftern breeze had not 

once fanned his blood ;-r-he had feen no fun, no mooa 
in all that time, nor had the voice of friend or kinfman 

breathed through 'his lattice. His children— but 

here my heart began to bleed, and I was forced to ga 
on with another part of the portrait. 

He was fitting on the ground, upon a little ftraw, 
in the fartheft corner of his dungeo-n, which was al- 
ternately his chair and bed. A little calander of fmall 



THE PLE.ISING LIBRARY, i^; 

fticks were laid at the head^ notched all over with the 
diimal days and nights *he had paffed there. He had- 
one of thefe little fticks in his hand ; and> with a rufly 
nail, he was etching another day of mifery to add to 
the heap. As I darkened the little light he had, he 
lifted up a hopelefs eye towards the door — then caft it 
do\^ni^ — fhoo'c his head, and went on with his work of 
afflidion. I heard his chains upon his legs as he turned 
his body to lay his little ftick upon the bundle.~He gave 
a deep figh — Ifaw^ the iron ei\*:er his foul — I burft into 
tears — I could not fuftain the pidure of confinement 
which my fancy had drawm. 

— •XXXXXXKo©o)3^:<^oXXXX>::X'^<— 
THE MOUSE'S PETITION. 
^^- 

V^ H ! hear a penfive prifoner^ prayer^ > 

For liberty that fighs : 
And never let thine heart be fhut 

Againft the wretch's cries^ 

For here forlorn and fad I fit, 

Within the wiry grate < 
And trenble at th' approaching morn, 

Which brings impending fate. 

.ly* e'er thy breaft with freedom glow'd; - 
" And fpurn'd a tyrant's chain. 
Let not thy ftrong oppreflive force 
A free born moufe detain. 



THE PLEASING LIBRAkt. 

Oh ! do not ftaift with gulltlefs blood ' 

Thy hofpitable hearth? 
Nor triumph that thy wiles betray'd 

A prize fo little worth* 

The fcatter'd gleanings of a feaft 

My frugal Meals fupply ; 
But if thine unrelenting heart 

That {lender boon deny. 

The cheerful light, the vital air, * 

Are bleffings widely given ; 
Let nature's commoners enjoy" 

The common gifts of heaven* ' 

The' well taught philofophic mind 

To all compaflion gives ; 
Calls round the world an equal eye^ ' 

And feels for all that lives. 

t^ mind, aH ancient fages taught, - 

A never dying flame, 
Still fhifts through matter's varying forms^ 

And every form the- fame. 

Beware, left in the worm you crufli, ' 

A brother's foul you find ; 
And tremble left thy lucklefs hand 

Diflodge a kindred mind. 

Or, if this tranfient gleam of day. 

Be all of life we fhare, 
Let pity plead within thy breaft;^ 

That little all to fpare. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. xg^. 

So may thy hofpitable board 

With health and peace be crovvTk'd ; 

And every charm of heart felt eafe 
Beneath thy roof be found. 

So when defVru(5lIon lurks unfeen. 
Which men like mice may fhare, 

May fome kind angel clear thy path^ 
And break the hidden fnare. 

The story of FATHER NICHOLAS. 



I 



. T was at a fmall town in Brittany, irv 
which there was a convent of Benedidlnes, where par- 
ticular circumflances had induced me to take up my 
refidence for a few weeks. They had forne pictures 
which ftrangers ufed to vlfit. I went with a party 
whofe purpofe was to look at them; mine in fuch places 
is rather to look at men. If in the world we -behold the 
ihifiing fcene which prompts obfervation, we fee in 
fuch fecluded focieties a fort of ftill life, whic& notrr- 
ilhes thought, which gives fubjedl for meditation. I 
confefs however I have often been difappointed ; I have 
leen a group of faces under their cowls, on v/hich fpec- 
ulation could build nothing ; mere common-place 
countenances, which might have equally well belonged 
to a corporation of bakers or butchers. Moft of thofe 
in the convent I now vifited were of that kind : one 
however was of a very fuperior order ; that of a moni^^ 



iW' THE FLEASII>fG LIBRARlT. 

who kneeled at a diftance from the altar, near a Goth- ' 
3C window, through ^he painted panes of which a-^ 
gleamy light touched his forehead, and threw a dark 
Rembrandt i\i:idt on the hollow of a large, black,"' 
melancholy eye. It was impoffible not to take notice 
of him. He looked up, hivoluntarily no doubt, to a 
pi<flure of our Saviour bearing his crofs. The fimi- 
larity of the attitude, and the quiet refignation of the 
two countenances, formed a refemblance that couM 
not but ftrike every one. *' It is Father Nicholas,'* 
vv-hifpered cur cohaudor, ** who is of all the brother- 
hood the moH rigid to himfelf, and the kindeft to oth- 
er i9ien. To the diftreffed, to the fick, and to the dy- 
ing, he is always ready to adm.iniiter aiTiPcance and con-- 
folatioh. "Nobody evei* told hirh a misfortune in which 
he did not take an intereft, or requeft good offices 
which he refufed to grant : yet the aufterity and mor- 
tifications of his own life are beyond the ftrideft rules 
of his order | and it is only from what he does for oth- 
ers tliat one fuppofes him to feel any touch of human- 
ity." The fubjecl feemed to m.ake our informer elo- 
quent; I was young. curix)us, enthufraftic ; it funk in- 
to my heart, and I could not reft till 1 was made ac- 
qiiainted vn\h Father Nicholas.' Whether from the 
power of the introduction I procured, from his own be- 
nevolence, or from my deportment, the good man look- 
ed on me with the complacency of a parent. "It 
is ■ not ufaal,'' laid he, " my fon, for people at your 
age to folicit acquaintance like mine. To you the 
world Is in its prime ; why fhould you anticipate its 
decay? Gaiety and cheerfulnefs fpring up around 
you ;• why fhould you feek out the abodes of melan* ; 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. x^i 

^choly and woe ? - Yet though dead to the pleafures, I 
^m not iyrfenfible to the charities of life. I feel your 
kindnefs, and wifli for an opportunity to requite it."- 
He perceived my turn for letters, and fhewed nje 
fome curious MSS. and fome fcarce books, which be- 
longed to their convent : thefe were not the communi- 
cations I fought ; accident gave me an opportunity 
^f obtaining the knowledge of Father Nicholas, the 
' ftory of his forrows, the caufe of his aufterities. 

One evening when I entered his cell, after knock- 
ing at the door without being heard, I perceived him 
kneeling before a crucifix, to which was affixed a 
fmall pidure, which I took to be that of the BlefTed 
Virgin. I flood behind him, uncertain whether I 
fhould wait the clofe of his devotional exercife, or re- 
tire unperceived as I came. Hjs face was covered 
with his hand, and I heard his ftifled groans. A mix- 
ture of compaflion and of curiofity fixed me to my 
place. He took his hands from his eyes with a quick- 
ened movement, as if a pang had forced them thence.; 
He laid hold of the pi^ure, which he kiifed tw^ice, 
preffed it to his bofom ; and then gazing on it eameft- 
■ ]y burft into tearso After a few moments, he clafped 
his hands together, threw a look up to heaven, and 
muttering fome ivords \vhich I could not hear, drew a. 
deep figh, which feemed to clofe the account of his 
forrows for the time, and rifmg from his knees, difcov- 
ered me. I was afhamed of my fituatlon, and ftam- 
mered out fome apology for my unintentional inter- 
ruption of his devotions. " Alas ! (faid he), be 

not deceived; thefe are not the tears of devotion j 
^ot the meltings of piety, but tJie wrlngings of remorfe. 



,%f^ THE PLEASING LIBRARY^ 

-Perhaps, young maR, it may ftead tJiee. to be told the* 
'ftory of my fufFerings and my fins : ingenious as thy 
•nature feems, It may be expofed to temptations like 
mine ; it may be the vidim of laudable feelings per- 
verted, of .virtue betrayed, of falfe. honor, and miftak- 
,€n fliame.'' 

My name is St. Hubert ; my faniily ancient and- 
refpecftable, though its domains, from various untow- 
ard events, had been contra<5led much within t;heir for- 
mer extent. I loft my father before I "knew the mis- 
'fortune of loofmg him; and the indiilgence of my 
motlier, who continued a widow, made up in the efli- 
>mation of a youiig man, for any want of that protec- 
..tion or of guidance which another parent might havjs 
aifcrded. After having paffed with applaufe through 
:the ordinary ftudles which the capital of our province 
allovs^ed an opportunity of .acquiring, my mother fent 
me to Paris, along with the fon of a neighbouring 
family, who, though of lefs honorable defcent, was 
mu-ch richer than ours. Young Delaferre (that was 
my companion's name) was intended.for the army.: 
me, fiom particular c ire un: fiances^ which promifcd 
fuccefs in that line', my mother and her friends had dci- 
lined for tie long r:Obe, and had agreed for the pui'- 
.chafe of .a charge for me when I fliould be qualified 
for It. Delaferre Irdd k fovereign contempt for any 
profeffion but that of aims', and took every opportu- 
nity of infjpiiing me wiih ihe fame fentiment^s. In 
the capital I had this prejudice every day more and 
-more confirmed. Th^ perU of every m.an who had 
.iervcd^ the ixScIztC: {ii^tilcni) he clai^mcd ^over his fel- 



THE PLEASING. LIBRARY. ,^3 

loW-citizcns, dazzled my ambition, nnd awed my baPn- 
fulneis. Fjrom nature I liad that extreme fenfihllity 

' of fliame, which couki not ftand againft the ridicule 
even of much Inferior men. Ignorance would often 
confound me in matters of which I was perfedly 
well informed, from his fuperlor effrontery ; and the 
beft eftablifhed principles of my mind would fome- 
times yield to the impudence of aiTuming fophiftry, 
or of unbluftiing vice. To the profefiion which my 
relations .had marked out for me, attention, diligence, 
and foLer manners were naturally attached ; having 
once fet down that profefficn as humiliating, I conclud- 

' ed its attendant qualities to be equally difhonorable. 
I was afnamed of virtues to which I was naturally in- 
clined ; a bully in vices which I hated and defpifed. 
Delaferre enjoyed my apoftacy from innocence as a 
victory he had gained. At fchool he was rmich my infe- 
rior, and I attained every mark of diillndlion to v/hich 
he had afpired in vain. In Paris he triumphed in his 
turn ; his fuperior wealth enabled him to command 
the appearances of fuperlor dignity and fliow ; the 
cockade in his hat infpired a confidence which my fit- 
nation did not allow ; and, bold as he was in difflpa- 
tion and debauchery, be led me as an inferior whom 

lie had taught tlie art of living, whom he had firft 
trained to indepeudence and to manhood. My moth- 
er's ill-judged kindnefs fupplied me with tlie means 
oi thofe pleafures which m,y campaniojQs induced me 
to fhare, if pleafures they miglit be called, which I 
often partook with uneafmcfs, and refle(5led on with re- ■ 

morfe. Scmetimcs, though but too feldom, I was 
R 



196 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

fuppofed to feel. I propofed our repioving for fomc^ 
weeks to Paris, where ihe niignt have abler affiHancx 
than our provmce could afford m thofe^moments of 
danger which fhe foon expeded. To this flie objed- 
ed wiih earneflnefs, from a variety of motives; bat 
moil of my neighbours applauded my refolution ; 
and one, who was the nephew of a Farmer- General, 
and had purchafed the efiate on which his father had 
been a t#nant, told me, the danger from their country 
accoucheurs w-as fuch, that nobody who could afford 
to go to Paris would think of trufting them. J was 
a little tender on tliQ reproach of poverty, and abfo- 
lutely determined for the journey. To induce my 
vvife's confent, I had another pretext, being left exec- 
utor to a friend who had died in Paris, and had effeds 
remaining there. Emilia at laft confented, and we re-. 
moved to town accordingly. 

For fome time I fcarcely ever left our hotel : It was 
the fame at which Emilia and her father' had lodged 
when he came to Paris to die, and leave her to my 
love. The recolleclion of thofe fcenes, tender and 
interelting as ihey were, fpread a fort of melancholy 
•indulgence over our mutual fociety, by which the 
ompany of any third perfon could fcarcely be brpok- 
. de My wife had fome of thofe fad prefages' which 
v/omen of her fenfibility often feel in the condition fhe 
was- then in. All my attention and folicitude v/ere ex- 
cited to combat her fears. " I fhall not live,*' fhe 
w^ould fay, ^' to revi/it Santonges 1 but iny Henry will 
think of rne there. In thofe woods in which we 
have fo often walked, by tliat brook to the fall of which 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 197 

we have liftened together, and felt in filence what 
language, at lead what mine, my love, conld not 
fpeak." — The good father was overpowered by the 
tendernefs of the images, that ruihed upon his mind, 
and tears for a moment choaked his utterance. After 
a fhort fpace he began, with a voice faultering and 
weak ; 

— Pardon the emotion that ftopped my recital. You 
pity me ; but it is not always that my tears are of 
fo gentle a kind ; the images her lj)eech recalled foft- 
ened my feelings into forrow ; but I am not worthy ^ 
of them. — Hear the conf einon of my remorie. 

The anxiety of my Emilia was at laft diffipated by 
her fafe delivery of a boy; and on this object of a 
new kind of tendernefs- we gazed with mexprciuble 
delight. Emilia fuckled the - infant heriW, as well 
irom the idea of duty and of pleafure in tending it, 
as from the difficuhy of finding in Paris a nurfe to be 
trufted. We propofed returning to the country as 
foon as the re-eftabliiliment of her ilrenglh would per-- 
mic: meantime, during her hours'ofrellj 1 gener^ 
ly went but to iinifh the bufmefs which the truil of my 
deceafed friend had dev^olved upenme. 

In paffing tiirough the Thuillcries, in one of ihofe 
walks, I met my ojd companion Delaferre. He em- 
braced me with a degree of warmth which I fcarce 
expeded from my knowledge of his difpoiition, or th^ 
lengdi of dme f:)r which our correfpondence had been 
broken oir. He had heard, he faid, accidentaUj^ ef 
K z 



XpS THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

my being in town, but had fought me for feveral days 
in vain,. In truth, he was of all men one whom I was 
the moft afraid of meeting. I had heard in the coun- 
try of his unbounded diffipation and extravagance ; and 
there were fome ftories to his prejudice Vv^ich were only 
not believed, from an unwillingnefs to believe them in 
people whom the corruptions of the world had not fa- 
miliarifed to bafenefs ; yet I found he ftill pofleffed a 
kind .of fuperiority over my mind, which I was glad 
to excufe, by forcing myfeif to thmk him lefs unwor- 
thy than he was reported. After a- variety of enquir- 
ies, and exprefUng his cordial fatisfadlion at the pref- 
cnt happinefs I enjoyed, he preffed me to fpend that 
evening with him fo earneftly, that though I had made 
it a fort of rule to be at home, I was afhamed to offer- 
an apology, and agreed to meet him at the hour he 
3j>pointed, . 

Oar company confifted only of Delaferre himfelf, 
and two other officers, one a good deal older than any 
of us, who had the Crbfs of St. Louis, and the rank^ 
of Colonel, whom I thought the mofl agreeable man 
I had ever met with.- The unwillingnefs. with which 
I had left home, and the expectation of a very differ- 
ent fort of party where I v/as going, made me feel the 
ptefent one doubly pleafant. . My fpirits, v^rhich were 
rather low when I went in, from that conftraint I was , 
prepared for, rofe in proportion to the pleafantry a- 
r(5und me, and the peifed eafe in which I found my- 
iclf with this old officer who had information, wit, 
feitiment, every thing I valued moft, and every thing 
I ieaft €x^e4led in a fociety felefted by Delaferre. It, 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 199 

was late before we parted ; and at parting I received, 
not without pleafure, an invitation from the Colonel 
to fup with him the evening after. 

The company at his houfe I found enlivened by 
his fitter and a friend of her's, a widow, who, though 
not a perfedt beauty, had a countenance that impreffed 
one much more in her favor than mere beauty couldo 
When filent, there was a certain foftnefs in it infinitely 
bewitching ; and when it was lightened up by the ex- 
prefl^n which her converfation gave, it was equally 
attra<^ive. We happened to be placed next each oth- 
er. Unufed as I was to the little gallantries of fafli- 
lonable life, I rather wifhed than hoped to make myfelf 
agreeable to her. She feemed, however interefted in 
my attentions and converfation, and in hers I found 
myfelf flattered at the fame time and delighted. We 
played, againft the inclination of this lady and me^ 
and we won rather more than I wifhed. Had I been 
as rich as Delaferre, I fliould have obje6ted to the 
deepnefs of the flakes ; bift we were the only perfons 
of the company that feemed uneafy at oiir fuccefsj, 
and we parted with the mtoft cordial good humoro 
Madame de Trenville (that was the widow's name,) 
fmiling to the Colonel, afked him to take his revenge 
at her houfe, and faid, with an air of equal modefty 
and franknefs, that as I had been the partner of her 
fuccefs, fhe hoped for the honor of my company, to 
take the chance of fnaring a lefs favorable fortune. 

At firft my wife had expreffed her fatisfadion at 
my finding amufement in fociety, to relieve the duty 
of attending her. But when my abfence grew very 



ao« ^ THE P1.E ASING LIBRARY/ 

frequent, as indeed I was almoft every day at Mad^ 
ame de Trenville's, though her words continued the 
fame, fhe could not help expreffing by her countenance 
her dlffatisfadion at my abfence. I perceived this 
at firft with tendernefs onlyj and next evening excuf- i 
ed myfelf from keeping my engagement. But I found 1 
my wife's company not what it ufed to be ; thought- 
ful, but afraid to tru ft one another with our thoughts? ^^ 
Emilia fhewed her uneafinefs in hei looks, and I cov- 
ered mine but ill with an affumed gaiety of appear- 
ancco > 

The day following, Delaferre called, and faw Emi- 
lia for the firft time. He rallied me gently for break- 
ing my laft night's appointment, and told me- of an- 
other which he had made for me, which my wife in- 
fifted on my keeping. Her coufin applauded her con- 
dudl, and joked-on the good government of wives. 
Before 1 went out in the evening, I came to wifii Emi- 
lia good night. I though t'^I perceived a tear on her 
cheek, and would have ftaid, but for thie fhame of not 
gging; ♦ The company perceived my want of gaiety, 
and Delaferre was merry onthe^ occafion. Even my 
friend the Colonel, tlirew in^ a little raillery on the fub- 
jed of marriage. 'Twas the firft time I felt fome- 
what awkward at being. the- only married man of the 
p^rty. 

We played deepef and fat later than formerly. ; 
but iHvas to ihew myfelf not afraid of my v/ife, and 
objcded to neither. I loft confiderably, and returned 
home mortified and chagrined. I faw Emilia neit 



THS PLEAsING library. 201 ' 

morning, whofe fplrits were not high. Methought her 
looks reproached my condu<^, and I was enough m 
the wrong to be angry that they did fo. Delaferre 
came" to take me to his houfe to dinner. He obferved 
as we went, that Emilia looked ill. " Going to the 
comitry will re-eftabli(h her," iaid I. — " Do you leave 
Paris ?"— laid he — " In a few days.'*—" Had I fuch 
.motives for reniaining in it as you have.'' "What ' 
motives?" — «< The attachment of lucli friends : but 
friendfhip is a cold word; the attachment of fuch a 
woman as De Trenville." I know not how I looked, 
but he preffed the fubjed no farther ; perhaps I was > 
lefs offended than I ought to have been. 

We went to that lady's houfe after dinner. She 
was dreifed mod elegantly, and looked more beautiful 
than ever I had feen her. The party wa^ more nume- 
rous than ufual, and there was more vivacity in it. 
■The converfation turned upon my intention of leaving 
Paris ; the ridicule of country-manners, of country* 
opinions, of the infipidity of country- enjoyments, was ^ 
kept up with infinite fpirit by Delaferre, and mioft of - 
the younger members of the-company. Madame de> 
Trenville did not joia in their mirth, and fometimes 
looked at me as if the fubjedt was too ferious for her 
to be merry on. I was half afhamed and half forry that 
I was going to the country; lefs uneafy than vain at 
the preference that was fhown me. 

I was a coward, however, In the wrong as well as 
in the right, and fell upon an expedient to fcreen myfelf - 
from a difcovery that might have faved me. Ixor-^- 



dry^i- THE PLI^IASING LIBRARY. 

trived to deceive my wife, and to conceal my vifits to 
Madame de Trenville's, under the pretence of fome 
perplexing incidents that had arifen In the management 
of thofeafFairs with which I was intrufled. Her mind 
was too pure for fufpicion or for jealoufy. Itw^as eafy 
even for a novice In falfehood, like me, to deceive her. 
But I had an able affillant in Delaferre, w^ho now re^ 
fumed the afcendency ov-er me he had formerly poffef- 
fed, but w^ith an attradion more por;erful, from the 
infatuated attachment w^hich my vanity and weak- 
nefs, as much as her art and beauty, had made me con- 
ceive for Madame, de, Trenville. 

It happened, that judat this time, a young man 
arrived from our province, and brought letters for E- 
miiia from a female friend of hers in the neighbour- 
hood of Santonges. He had been bred a miniaturer 
painter, and came to tow^n for improvement in his art. 
Emilia, who doted on her little boy, propofed to him 
to draw his pidure in the Innocent attitude of his fleep. 
The young painter was pleafed with the idea, pro^ 
vided Ihe would allow him to paint the child in her 
arms. This w^as to be concealed from me, for the 
fake of furprifrng me with the pidure when it fliould 
be finiihed. That ilie might have a better opportunU 
ty of effeding this little concealment, Emlha would 
often hear, with a fort of fatisfaaion, my engage* 
ments abroad, and encourage me to keep them, that 
the pidure might advance in my abfence. 

She knew not what, during that abfence, was my 
employment. The fiave of vice and of profufiou, I 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. W5 

i^as violating my faith to her, in the arms of the moft 
artful and worthlefs of women, and lofing the for- 
tune that (liould have fupported my child and hers, 
to a fet of cheats and villains. Such was the fnare 
that Delaferre and his affociates had drawn Jitround 
mce It was covered -with the appearence of love and 
generofity. De Trenville had art enough to make me 
believe, that (he was every way the vi(5lim of her af- 
fedion for me. My firll great loffes at play Gie pre- 
tended to reimburfe from her own private fortune, and 
then threw herfelf upon my honor, for relief from 
thofe diftreffes into which I had brought her. After 
having exhaufted all the money I poffefled, and all 
my credit could command, I would have flopped fhort 
of ruin ; but when I thought of returning in difgrace 
and poverty to the place I had left refpeded and hap- 
py, I haid not refolution enough to retreat. I took 
refuge in defperation, mortgaged the remains of my 
eftate, and flaked the produce to recover what I had 
loft, or to lofe myfelf. The event was fuch as might 
have been expedled. 

After the dizzy horror of my fituation had left mc 
power to think, I hurried to Madame de Trenville's, 
She gave me fuch a reception as fuited one who was 
no longer worth the deceiving. Convidion of her 
falfehood, and of tliat ruin to which Ihe had been em- 
ployed to lead me, ilafhed upon my mind. I left her 
witli execrations, which fhe received with the coolrtefs 
of hardened vice, of experienced fedudion. I rufli- 
ed from her Koufe I knew not whither. My fteps in- 
voluntarily led mie hom£. At my vwn door I ftoppcdt 



->&04 ' THE PLBA SING LIBRARY. 

.^s if it had been deatli to enter. When I had fnrunk 
back fome paces, I turned again ; twice did I attempt 

- to knock, and could not ; my heart throbbed with un- 
speakable horror,, and my knees fmote each other. It 
was night, and the ftreet was dark and filent aroiind 

-me, I threw myfelf down before the door, and wifh- 

. ed fome ruflian^s hand to eafe me of life and thought 
together. At laft the recolleclioh of Emilia and of 

.my infant boy croiTedmy difordered mind, and a gufii 
of tendernefs bur it from my eyes. I rofe, knocked 
at the door. When I was let in, I went up foftly to 
my wife's chamber. She was afleep with a night- 
lamp burning by her, her child ileeping on her boiom, 
and its little hand grafping her neck. Think what 
I felt as I looked 1 She fmiled through her fleep, and 
feemed to dream of happinefs. My brain began to 
madden again ; and as the mifery to w^hich fhe muft 
wake croiTed my imagination, the horrible idea rofe 
within me—rl fKudder yet to tell it ! — to murder them 
as they lay, and next myfelf I— I ftreached my hand 
towards my wife's throat ! — The infant unclafped its 
little fingers, and laid hold of one of mine. The gen- 
tle preffure wrung my heart,.; its foftnefs returned: 
I burft into tears..; but I could. not ilay to tell her of 
our ruin. ;I rufhed out of the room, and, gaining an 
obfcurehotel in a diftant part of tlie to%\n.i, wrote a 

. few diftraded lines, acquainting her of my folly and 
o( my crimes ; that I meant "immediately to leave 
France, and not return till my penitence Hiould wipe 
out my offences, and my Induftry repair tliat ruin in 
which I had involved her. I recommended her and 



THE i?LEASING LIBRARY. 405 

my child to my mother's care, and to the protedlon 
of that hcciven which Ilic had never oiFended. Hav- 
ing fent this, I left Paris on the inftant, and had walk- 
ed feveral miles from town before it was light. At 
fun-rife a ftage-coa-ch o\^rlook mt. It was going on 
the road to 13reiL r entered it without arranging a- 
ny future plan, and fiit in fullcn and gloomy filence, 
in the corner of the carriage. That day and next 
night I went on tnechanically, with feveral other paf- 
fengers, regardlefs of food, and incapable of reii. But 
the fecond day I found my firength fail, and when we 
flopped in the evening, Ii;'eli dov/n in a faint in the 
pafi^.ge of the inn. I was put to bed, it feems, and 
lay for more than a week in the flupefadion of a low 
fever. 

A charitable brother of that order to which I now 
belong, who happened to be in the inn, attended me 
with the greateft care and humanity ; and when I be- 
gan to recover, the good old man tninillerd to my foul, 
as he had done for my body, that afilflance and con- 
fblation be eafily difcovered it to need. By his tender 
affiduities I was now fo far recruited as to be able to 
bfeathe the frefh air at the window of a little parlor. 
As I fat there one morning, the fame ftage-coach in 
which I had arrived, flopped at the door of the inn, 
when I faw alight out of it the young painter who had 
been recommended to us at Paris. The fight over- 
powered my weaknefs, and I fell lifelefs from my feat. 
The incident brought feveral people into the room, 
and among ft others the young man hlmfelf. Whetl 
they had rcftored me to kidc^, 1 had recoUedion ey 
s 



t?c6 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

nough to defire him to remain with me alone. It was 
fometlme before he recognized me; when he did, with 
horror in his afpesfl, after much hefitation, and the rnoft 
folemn intreatj from me, he told me the dreadful fe- 
quel of my misfortunes. My wife and child were no 
more. The fnock which my letter gave, the ftate of 
weaknefs (he was then in had not Pcrength to fupport. 
The eiFefls were a fever, delirium,, and death. Her 
infant perifhed with her. In the interval of reafon 
preceding her death, fhe called him to h-er bed-fide ; » 
gave him the pi(5]:ure he had drawn ; and v/ith her laft 
breath charged him, if ever he could find me out, to 
deliver that and her forgivenefs to me. He put it in- 
to my hand. I know ,not how I furvived. Perhaps 
it was owing to the outworn flate in which my difeafe 
had left me. My heart was too weak to burft, and 
there was a fort of palfy on my mind that feemed in- 
fenfible to its calamities. By that holy man who had 
once before faved me from death, I was placed here, 
where, except one melancholy journey to the fpot 
where they had laid my Emilia and her boy, I have 
ever fince remained. My ftory is unknown, and they 
wonder' at the feverity of that life by which I endc^i- 
vor to atone for my offences.— But it is nor by fuffer- 
ing alone that Heaven is reconciled ; I endeavor by 
works of charity and beneficence to make my being 
not hateful in its fight. Ble&d be God 1 I have at- 
tained the confolation I wifked. — Already, on my 
wafting days a beam of mercy fheds its celeftial lighto 
The vifions of this flinty couch are changed to mild- 
nefs. 'Twas but laft night Emilia beckoned me ir* 
{iXiiles; this little cherub was with her I His voicf 



I'HE PLEASING LIBRARY. aojr 

f^eafed— he looked on the piaure, then towards Hea- 
ven; and a faint glow croffed the paleneis of his cheek, 
r flood awe.ftruck at the fight. The bell for vefpers 
tolled — he took my hand — -I kiffed his, and my tears 
began to drop on it — ** My fon'* faid he, ^' to feelings 
like your's it mTij not be utipleafing to recal my (lory. 
■ — If the world allure thee, if vice enfnare with its 
pleafures, or abafh with its lidicule, think of Father' 
Nicholas — be virtuous, and be happy." 

Tk« POWER OF INNOCENCE. 



w. 



HEN firft the nuptial ftate we pfove'^^ 
We live the happy life of love : 
But when familiar charms no more 
Ihfpire the blifs they gave before^ 
Each lefs delighting, lefs is lov'd ; 
Firft this, then that, is difapprov'd : 
Complaifance flies — Negle<ft fucceeds ; 
Negle(5i: Difdain and hatred breeds. 

'Twas thus a pair, who long time prov'd 
The joys to love and be belov'd, 
At length fell out for trifling things — 
From trifling, Anger moftly fprings. 
The wilh to pleafe forfook each breaft, 
Love's throne by thoughtlefs Rage.pofTefs'd r 
Refolv'd to part — they'd meet no more !— 
Enough— the chariots at the dcor. 



^8 THE PLEASING LIBRARIT. 

The manfion was my lady's own ; 
Sir John refolv'd to live in town. 
Writings were drawn — each claufe agreed j. 
Both vow'd they'd ne'er recal the detd. 
The chariot waits-— why this delay ? 
The fequel fhall the caufe diiplay. 

One lovely girl th« lady bore, 
Dear pledge of joys fbe taftes no more ;, 
The father's mother's darling, Ihe 
Nowlifp'd and prattled on each knee. 
Sir John, when nfmg to depart, 
Turn'd to the darling of his heart, 
And cri'd with ardor in his eye, 
"Come Betsey, bid mamma good-bye.'* 
The lady, trembling, anfwer'd. No : 
*' Go kifs Papa, my Betsey, go. 
The child ftali live with me," fhe cry'd : 
'* The child fhall choofe," Sir John repii'd^ 
Poor Betsey look'd at each by turns, 
And each the ftarting tear diicerns. 
My lady afks, with doubt and fear, 
** Will ycu not live with me my dear ?'* 
*< Yes"-— half refolv'd, replied the child j 
And, half fur pre fs'd her tears, fhe fmii'd. 
<* Come Betsey," cry'd Sir John, " you'll go. 
And live with dear Papa, I know," 
** Yes," Betsey cri'd. The lady then 
Addrefs'd the wond'ring child again : — 
" The time to live with bot^ is o'er 
This day we part, to meet no more ! 
Choofe then" — here grief o'erflow'd her breads 



THJE PLEASING LIBRARY. ao^ 

And tears burft out, too long fupprefs'd, 
The child, who tears and chiding joined, 
Suppos'd Papa difpleasM, unkind ; 
And try'd, with all her little ikill. 
To footh his oft-relenting will. 
<< Do" cry'd the lifper, « Papa ! do 
Love dear Mamma — Mamma loves you I** 
Subdu'd the fource of manly pride, 
No more his looks his heart beli'd : 
The tender tranfport forc'd its way ; 
They both confefsM each other's fw^ay ; 
And, prompted by the focial fmart, 
Breaft rufh'd to bread, and heart to hea rt ; 
Each clafp'd their Betsey o'er and o'er ; 
And Tom drove empty from the door. 

Ye that have pafiions for a tear, 
Give nature vent, and -drop it here,' - 

--^•<><>c;=<><:><::s<<0»''^3^'=©>x>^>t:x 
The story of VIRGINIUS/- 



Vi 



IRGINIUS, a Roman foldier, famous ' 
iri the city for probity, and in the army for his valor, 
had a daughter about fixteen years of age. She had 
been promi fed in marriage to Icilius, who had lately 
been tribute, and was at that time the greatefl beauty 
in Rome. She had loft her mother, and was under ' 
the tuition of governeiTes who took care of her edu-'- 



tio THE PLEASING LIBKART. 

cation. Appius Claudius, the Roman decemvir,* ac- 
cidentally meeting her one day, was ftruck with her 
beauty, and thought of nothing from thenceforth* but 
the means of gratifying his criminal defires. He em- 
ployed all the methods to tempt her that a violent paf- 
iion could fuggeft ; but ftill found in the invincible 
chaftity of Virginia a refiftance, proof againft all his 
attacks and endeavors. When he faw that her fevere 
modefty left hinn no hopes of feducing her, he had re- 
courfe to violence. He fuborned one of his dependants, 
named Claudius, and perfedlly inftru(fted him how to 
'd€L This creature of his was bold and frontlefs,. and 
one of thofe kind of people who introduce themfelves 
into the contidence of the great oulj by a criminal 
romplacency for their pleafures. The infamous mih- 
iftdr of the decemvir's debauches, meeting Virginia as 
ihQ was walking v/ith her governefs, flopped her^ and 
claimed her as his flave, bade her follow him, or he 
would oblige her to do fo by force. Virginia, in a^ 
mazement, and trembling with fear, did not know 
what he m.eant ; but her governefs raifed a great cr^, 
implored the affiiiance of tlie people. Tiie names c£ 
Virginius her father, and Icilius her intended husband, 
were heard on all fides. Heiations and friends ran to 
join her, and the nioft indiiferentv^ere moved with the 
light. This fecured her againft violence. Claudius^ 
affuming a milder tone, faid, there was no occafion 
for fo much ftir ; that he had no defign to employ vi-" 
olence, but folely the ufual methods of juftice : and 
immediately cited Virginia before the magiftrate, 
whkher flae followed, by the advice of her relations. 
* A Roman Magiilrate. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. ^It ^ 

When they came to Appms' tribunal, the claimant 
repeated his well-known tale to the judge with whom 
it had been concerted. He faid that Virginia was 
born in the hoafe of one of his flaves, from whence 
fhe had been ftolen, and carried to Virginius' wife, 
who being b.irren, through grief to fee herfelf with- 
out childi'en, had pretended this girl to be- her daugh- 
ter, and had brought her up as fuch in her houfe : 
that he had incoutelHble proofs of th© fail, againPc 
the evidence of which, Virginius himfeif, who had fo ^ 
much intereftin the affair, could have nothing to ob-- 
je<5t.. H$ concluded with demanding, as the abfenc^ 
of Virginius prevented the matter from being finally 
adjudged, that it Ihould be decreed pro vifion ally, that ; 
the Have Ihould follow her mailer. This requeft was - 
in dired oppofition to an exprefs law enaded by the ^ 
decemvirs themfelves, and which decided the cafe in . 
favor of . Virginia. It dec^ared, "That if a perfon ■ 
enjoying their liberty ihould be claimed as ailave, fuch ^ 
perfon Ihould continue at liberty till a definitive judg- 
ment in the cafe/' Numitorius, Virginia's uncle, al- - 
leged this equitable lav/ in vain. , In vain did he rep- ^ 
refent, that as Virginius was abfent in the fervice of 
the coramonw^ealth, it was but juR the fentence fhould : 
be fufpended, till he could appear to defend his daugh- 
ter in perfon. Appius decreed that fhe Ihould be put 
into the hands of Claudius, \vho- fhould give good fe=» - 
curity to produce her when her father arrived. 

This fentence was followed by the cries and tears of 
Virginia, and the women that attended her. All v/h o 
were p refent at this trial trembled witli horr*:r } . ! 



%Tt TH1E PLEASINfe LtBRARY. 

indignation, but'nobody ventured to explain themfelves 
openly, Icilms raifing great cries, advanced through 
the crowd to defend Virginia. The lidor, faying the 
judge had paffed fentence, oppdfed and ftruck him 
back roughly. So injurious a treatment would have en- 
raged themoft moderate. Icilius, who was naturally 
warm and violent, did not fuiFer it patiently. "You 
muft remove me from hence, Appius,*^ fatd he, " with 
a fword, if you would ftifle' the knowledge of your 
infamous defigns* I am to marry this maid', but to 
iriarry her chafte and a virgin, Therefpre afremblc, 
if you pleafe, all your own lidloi-s, and thofe of your 
colleagues, and bid them make ready their rods and 
axes; but the wife of Icilius fhall not ftay out of her 
father's houfe.- Though you and your colleagues 
have deprived the people of their tribunes and appeals^ 
the two fupporcs of their liberty, do not imagine that 
you hav€ an abfolate power to treat our v/ives and 
children according to the dictates of your luft. Rage, 
tyrannize, if you will, over our perfons ; blK let chaf- 
tity and innocence at leaft be exempt from your vio^ 
lence.'' 

Icilius added feveral other circumftances of equal 
force ; and concluded with protefting, that as long as 
he had life he fhould retain the courage and conftancy 
with which a juft and chafte paffion for the defence 
of his wife's liberty ought to infpire him. 

The whole multitude were in great emotion, and ' 
ready to proceed to the utmoft extremi>ies. Appius, 
who perceived it, and did not exped: fo much refift- 
ance, was obliged to give way to it. He faid> " lit 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 2x3; 

pftTceiVed that Icilius, ftill full of the pride and vio- 
lence of the tribune, fought only to excite iv^mult ?. 
that, for the prefent, he would not fupply him with oc- 
caiion : that in refpecl: of Virginias' abfence, his qnaU 
ity of father, and alfo in favor of the common cauls 
of liberty, he was fatisfied to defer judgment until the 
next day : but that, if Virginius did not appear, he- 
gave warning to Icilius, and all fuch feditious perfons,. 
that he fhould proceed in the affair, and that his own lie- 
tors,, without having recourfe to theSt ot his colleagues, 
would fuffice for chaftifing the infolence of the turbu- 
lent and refradory.'' After having continued fitting., 
for fome time, that he might not feem to have come 
hither folely on account of this affair, as nothing far-- 
ther offeredj he rofe and returned home much, mortis 
ikd with what had happened*. 

The fir ft thing he did after he entered his houfe. 
was to write to his colleagues in the camp not to fuf- 
fer Virginius to leave it, and even to keep him confin- 
ed under a ftrowg guard. The courier was difpatched' 
immediately, but was too late by fome hours. The 
affair of Virginia no fooner made anoife, than IciliuiJ* 
brother, and Numitorious' fon, two a<5live young men» 
full of ardor and good- will, took horfe, and riding 
full fgeed, arrived in good time at the camp. Virgin- 
ius had gotten leave to be abfent, and was fet out be- 
fore Appius' courier arrived. For his greater fecuri- 
ty, he took the bye-road to Rome, 

The news of Virginius* arrival confiderably embar- 
raffed the decemvir, but did not extinguifh his paf- 
f;on. The next day, early in the morning, Virginius 



3^14 'fHE PLEASING LIBRARf. 

repaired to the forum with his daughter. It was irri*' 
poflible to behold her without being fenfibly moved. 
The fad and negleded ait vvlth which Ihe appeared, 
her mournful and-dejeded looks, her eyes heavy and 
ftreaming with-tears, and the rays of beauty, which" 
however broke through that cloud of fadnefs, made 
powerful impreflions upon all hearts. Her father, 
weeping ftill more than flie, held out his hands to the 
citizens, and implored their aid, repr-efenting to them, 
in a pathetic manner, his own misfortunes, and the 
danger to which themfelves were upon the point of 
being expofed, in refpedl to their wives and daughters,* 
Icilius faid as much on his fide. 

In the meantime Appius arrived, atid v;ith an af- 
fured and menacing air, afcended his tribunal. To 
prevent all refiftance,'he had caufed the troops under 
his command to march down from the capltol, and 
take poiTeffion of the forum. • The whole city were 
aflembled to hear the fentence. Claudius complained 
of not having, juftice done him the evening before^ 
and repeated in few words the proofs upon which he 
founded his claim. The father of the maid, and the 
reft of her relations, refuted with fo^d and nnanfwera- 
bleVeafons the pretended imppfture of Virginia's birth. 
The judge who was nov/ no longer mafter of him- 
felf, without hearkening farther to her defenders, pro- 
nounced Virginia the pn^operty of Claudius. Upon 
hearing that fentence, all who were prefent lifted up, 
their hands to heaven, and raifed a great outcry, thai- 
CiXprefled their g;rief and indignation. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. '5^x5 

"^Virglnius provoked to the highefl; degree at fo unjufl: 
-and cruel a decifion, could not contain himfelf. He 
trembled with rage, and accompanying iiis words with 
a threatening geriure, « Infamous wretch," faid he, 
" I never defigned my daughter for thee ; I educated 
her for a lavi^ul husband, and not to be a prey to a 
luftful ravager ; muft then brutal paflions among us 
take place of honorable.marriage ? How the citizens 
will bear with thefe things I know not, but I truft 
tliat the army will rei^enge my wrongs." The peo- 
ple approVed the wifh by their fighs, tears, and excla- 
mations. But the decemvir having iirtl caft his cjqs 
on ail fides, to fee how hi^ crealtires and dependants 
were polled, told the multitude, with a threatening 
voice, that he wa| not unacquainted with the plots that 
had been laid to caufe an infurredion ; but that he 
neither wanted power nor reroiuticn to infli(5l exempla- 
Xj puniihments on fuch as ihouid offer to difturb the 
public peace. *^ Let e.very one therefore," faid he, 
"retire to his cv/a houfe, and none prefuoie to give 
law to a fuprjm;^ magiftrate. As for you, Claudius, 
feize your flave, and .make u. ' of iriy guard to dif' 
perle the crowd/* 

The unfortunaJ:e father, feeing there was no other 
remedy, and roi:rultir:g only his defpair, formed with- 
in himielf a dreadA)] jefolutiona He drew near the 
tribunal, and in a ii.n;.uarit tone addreffed the decem- 
vir thus : " Pardon, Appius, the unguarded words 
%vhich have ef:aped me in the firfi transports of grief, 
and allow mt to afk in this young womanls prefencc;^ 

fome queftions of her nurfe, that I may carry home ^t 



■%fS THE PLEASING LIBUART. 

'leaft the comfort of being fet right In this matter.^^ 
Appius readily granted his f equeft. The c*iowd made 
way for him to pafs, and Virginius taking his daughter 
in his arms, and wiping the tears which flowed mcef- 
fantly from h&r eyes, he Infenfibly led her up to aihop 
in the forum. There fnatchlng up a butclier's kniie, 
-and turning to Virginia, " My dear daughter" fays he, 
«< by this only means in my power I defend thy liberty 
and thy lionor i Go to thy anceftors^ whilft thou art 
yet a free woman, pure and uadefiled ;" and plunged 
it into her heart. Then drawing out the knife, and 
turning to Appius, " By this blood," he crie3, ^' I d^ 
•vote thy head to infernal gods/^ 

A horrid noifeimmediacely etifued. Virginius, all 
covered with his daughter's blood, and holding tlie 
knife ftill fmoaking in'his hand, ran like a madman oti 
all iides of the forum, animating the citizens to recov- 
er their liberry. He afterwards opened himfelf a way» 
with the favor of the multitude, to the gates of the 
citj, from whence he made his efcape to the camp. 

Icilius, Virginians attended husband, and Numitorl- 
ous her uncle, continued v ith her body, deploring the 
.guik of Appius. the fatal beanty of Virginia, and the 
-cruel neceflity to which her father had been reduced. 
The women cried otitj %<Tth tears, " Is tlils ihe reward 
of chaftity ? Is it to fatiate the briitalhry of un infamous 
decemvir that we bring our children into the world?" 
■adding a thoufand other moving complaints, fuch a^ 
^rief, more lively and tender in their iex, generally in* 
Ipires them with on the like occafioii:;. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. ai; 

But nothing augmented their hatred more againft 
the decemvir, than the pompous manner in which Vir- 
ginia's relations celebrated her funeral. Her body was 
laid on a magnificent bed, in the mofl public part of 
the forum, fo that every body might fee it, and then 
carried in a kind of triumph through the whole 
city. The Roman matrons and virgins came out of 
their houfes to meet it. Some threw flowers and wreaths 
upon the bed, feme their girdles and bracelets, and 
others the ornaments of their heads : nothing In 
Chort that could adorn her obfequies were omitted. 
The whole city was now in an uproar. Appius order- 
ed Icilius to be feized, and carried to prifon ; but the 
people not only reicued him, but fell upon the h<flors, 
broke their fafces, and even the decemvir efcaped with 
difficulty to a neigbouring houfe. 

Such was the fituation of Rome when Vh^ginius ar- 
rived at the camp, where he foon excited greater tu- 
mult than he had left in the city : for befides a troop 
of four hundred citizens, who accompanied him, which 
made his arrival remarkable, the knife which he held 
in his hand, and the blood with which he was cover- 
ed, drew on him the eyes of the whole army, Whilft 
every body aflced him what had happened, he continued 
filent for fome time, and anfwered only with his tears* 
"^^Hien he recovered himfelf a little, and filence had 
been made, he related, from firft to laft, all that had 
happened in the city. The foldiers, with one voice, 
afTured him they would avenge his grief; accordingly, 
** To arms, to arms,^* was the univerfal cry. The 
ftartdards were pulled up, and the troops marched di- 



^i8 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

rqclly to Rome. The decemviri were obliged to xjc- 
fip-n their office, which had been a great oppreflion to 
the people. As for Appius, they would by no means 
fpare him: he was tried in form, and juftly condemn- 
ed ; but he thought fit to put an end to; his life before 
the day of execution. 

The FRIAR'S TALE. 
— -^— 



I 



N feveral convents, fituated among 
fthe mountains which divide France and Italy, a cuf- 
torn prevails that does honor to human nature* In 
thefe fequeftered cloifters, which are often placed in 
the moil uninhabited parts of the Alps, ftrangers and 
travellers, are not only hofpitably entertained, but a 
breed of dogs are trained to gojn fearch of wander- 
ers ; and are every morning fent from the convents, 
with an apparatus faftened to their collars, containing 
fome refreihments, and a diiedlon for. travellers to fol- 
low the fagacious animal. Many lives, are by this 
means preferved in that wild^romantic country. Du- 
ring my lad viiit to the Soutli of France, I made an 
excurfion into this mountainous region ; and at the 
convent of * * * * I was induced to prolong my (lay 
by the mxajeftic fcenery of its environs ; and as that 
became familiar, I was dill more forcibly detained 
by the amiable manners of the Reverend Father, who 
w^as^ at that time, fuperior of the monaflery ; from 
:liim I received the following pathetic narrative,. whicii 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 219' 

Tfliall deliver, as nearly as I can recoUe^ft, in his own' 
words. 

About twenty years ago, (faid the venerable old 
inan) being then in the 57th year of nny age, and in- 
the fecond of my priority over this houfe, a moft fm- 
gular event happened, through the fagaclty of one of 
theie dogs. Not more than a dozen leagues from 
hence, there lived a wealthy gentleman, the father 01 
Matilda; who vras his only child, and whofc hiPtory 

I- am eolngto relate. In the fanie village lived al- 

fo Albert, a youth poUeffed of all the world deems ex- 
cellent in man, except one f.ngle article ; but tlii^ was 
the only objcvfl of regard in th- eyes of Matilda's iath^ 
er. Albert, with a graceful per fon, cultivated mind, 
elegant manners and captivating fweetnefs of difpofi- 
ti-on, was poor in fortuift ; and • Matilda's father was ' 
b-Iind to every other confideration; blind to his daugh- 
ter's real happinefs, a.nd a ftranger to the foul delight- 
ing fenfation, of raifmg worth and genius, depreffed 
by poverty, to aflluence and independence. There- 
fore, on Matilda's confeffion of unalterable attach- 
ment to her beloved Albert ; the cruel f^uher refolved 
to take advantage of the power which the laws here 
give a man, to difpofe both of his child, and of his 
wealth and pleafure : the latter he determined to be- 
queath to his nephew Conrad, the former he refolved 
to fend to a neighbouring convent ; where after a 
year's probation, Ihe was to be compelled to renounce 
both Albert, and the world. 

Conrad, whofe artful infmuations had long work- 
ed on the mind of this mifguided father, was not cCii- 



%%o THE PLEASING LIBRAR-Y. 

ttnt with having thus feperated thefe lovers, but hj 
inciting perfecution from' the petty creditors of Al- 
bert, drove him from home \ and, after many fruit- 
lefs endeavors to eftabliOi a communication v/ith his 
lofl miftrefsj he fled for fanctuary to this convent* 
Here, (faid the hoary monk) I became acquainted 
with the virtues of that excellent young man. 

During this time, Matilda paffed her days in 
^'reichednefs and perfecution. The abbefs of her con- 
vent, Sifter Therefa, who, to the difgrace of her pro- 
teiTion and our holy church, difguifed the difpofition 
oi: a devil in the garment of a faint, became the friend 
.ind miaifter of Conrad's wicked purpofes, and never 
ceafed to perfecute Matilda,;by falfe reports"concerning 
Albert \ '.js^iii^^ her to turn her thoughts from him, to- 
tliat heavenly fpoufe to whom fne was about to make 
an everlaPcing vow; Matilda fcorned her artifice ; her 
love for Albert refiRed every effort of the abbefs to 
fhake lier confidence in his fidelity. 

She was in the laft week of her novitiate, when 
her father became dangeroufly ill, and defired 
once more to fee her. Conrad ufed every endeavor 
to prevent it, but in vain : flie was fent for, but the in- 
terview was only in the prefence of Conrad and the 
iiurfe. When the father perceived the altered coun- 
tenance of his once beloved child— his heart condemn- 
ed him, he refledled that the wealth, which he was go- 
ing to quit forever, belonged to her, and not to Con- 
rad. He therefore refolved to expiate his cruelty by 
cancelling his will and confenting to the union of Al- 
bert and Matilda. Having made a folemn declara- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. -221 

tron, he called for his will ; then taking Matilda's hand 
in one of his, and prefenting the fatal writing with 
the other, he faid, " forgive thy father ! deftroy this 
paper and be happy ; fo be my fins forgiven in Heav- 
en." The joy of his heart at this firft inftance of be^ 
nevolcnce, was too much for his exhauiled fpirits, and 
he expired as he uttered thefe laft words ; letting fall 
the will which he was going to deliver. 

Matilda's gentle foul was torn with contending 
paffions ; fhe had loft her father at the moment when. 
he had beftowed frefh life : and, in the coniiia be- 
twixt joy and grief, (he funk on the lifelefs corpfe, in 
an agony of gratitude and filial tendernefs. 

Mean while Conrad dici not flip this opportunity 
to complete his plan, which, by the dying words of 
his uncle, had been fo nearly defeated. He fecured' 
the will, and corrupted the nurfe by promifes and 
bribes, never to reveal what ^ flie had heard and feen ;■ > 
at the fam6 time- ke half p^rfuaded the doting old' 
woman, that it was only the effed: of deltrium in the- 
deceafed. • This idea v/as but- too well ftppcrted by 
the firfl; queftion Matilda aifced, who exclaimed, as i"ho " 
came to herfelf ;- ■ " where am I ? fure 'tis n dream ! • 
niy fatlier could not'f^y I fliould be happy; he could not 
bid me tear that fatal will; Speak, am I really awake ; " 
or does m.y fancy mock me ?"' The artful Conrad a^- - 
fared her that nothing of the kind had pa^Jed,- teilino> 
her, that her father had only mentioned Albert's n:)m^ • 
to curfe him ; and witli his laft. breath, had command- 
ed her to take the veil at the expiiation of the v.^eek.^ ^ 
Ail this the perjured nurfe confirmed. Matildaj bein^^ ; 
T * 



»X'ji THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

now perfedlly recovered, faw the horrors of her fitua- 
tioii : it was in vain for her to deny what they affert- 
eJj. or renionftrate againft their combined perfidy. 
She was foon, by force re-conveyed to her nunnery, in 
a (l:ate of mind, much eafier to imagine, than def- 
rribe. 

On her retifln to the convent, fhe was more than 
ever attacked by Therefa's perfecution, who wged^ 
with increafed vehemence, the pretended pofitive com- 
mands of her dying father ; and by .the advice of Con- 
rad, ufed feverities of a conventual difcipline, which 
alrnofl robbed the devoted victim of her reafon ; the 
^riitl Abbefs ftill pleading that religion jufllfied her 
conducl:. Can it be wondered, that fuch cruel treat* 
inenc iliould at length difturb the piety and faith of 
the faifering Matilda ? And 'wduce her to exclaim, 
•with prefumptuous bitternefs, againft the holy inftitu- 
tions of our church, and brand the facred ordinances 
of our religion with unjufl fufpicions, ** Why, (faid 
fhe) why are thefe maify gates, thcfe naked walls, fad 
prifons of youth and innocence, where fraud and cru- 
elcy have power to torment, and confine the helplefs, 
permitted to exiR ? Religion is the plea, religion which, 
fhould bring peace and not aiHiclion to its votaries ; but 
furely that religion, which juftifies thefe gloomy dun- 
geons, muft be falfe, and I will abjure it ; yes, I will 
ly to happier regions,' where prifon's are allotted only 
to the p-uilty ; where no falie vows to Heaven are ex- 
adled, but where Albert and Matilda may yet be hap- 
py.'^— The poffibility of an efcapc had never before 
prefeiited itfelf, and indeed, it could never have occur- 
red, bui to one v^hoft reafon was diiordcred^ for Ihe 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. aaj 

Wei! knew that the doors were well fecured by many 
bars and locks, and that the keys were always depofit- 
ed beneath the pillow of the abbefs. 

Her imagination, however, was now too much heat- 
ed to attend to any obftacles : and with a mixture of 
foiefight, infpired by infanity, (he packed up ail her lit- 
tle ornaments of value, carelefsly drew on her clothesi, 
and put in her pocket fome bread and provifions, which 
had been left in her cell ; then wrapping round her 
elegant form, one of the blankets from tlie bed, fhe 
lighted a taper, and fearleisly walked towards the 
cloifter door, idly expedting it would fly open, of its 
own accord, to innocence like hers — methinks I fee her, 
with hair dlflie veiled, face pale anjrwan, her large 
black eyes wildly flaring, and the w^iole of her ghaft« 
ly figure lighted by the feeble glimmer of the taperj 
majeftically ftalking through the gloomy vaulted halL 
She arrived at the great door and found it partly open^ 
and fcarce believing what flie faw, flie quickly glided 
through it : but, as fhe pafied, an iron bar which ihe 
had not obferved, and which projected, llightly grazed 
6er temple ; and though flie fcarccly felt the wound,, 
yet it added new horrors to her look, by covering her 
ghoft-like face with ftreaks of blood. 

Although M:itilda had never confidered the improb- 
ability of paiTinor this door, fhe now refieded with won- 
der how {"he had pafTed it : and the fear of a difcovery 
began to operate, as flie with more cautious fteps mov- 
ed filently through the cloifter to the outer gate ; which 
when fhe approached, Tne heard Therefa's voice whif- 
pering thefe words. "Adieu, dear Conrad 5 but re- 



ai44 THE PLEA.<imC LIBRARY: 

member your life, as well as mine, depends on the fe- 
erecy of our conducl." Then tenderly embracing 
each other, a man ran fwiftly from her, r»ad the ab- 
befs turning round, ftood motionlefs with horror at the 
bloody fpecflre which was firmly approaching. The 
guilty mind of There fa, could only fuppofe the horrid 
vifion to be the departed fpirit of one, whom flie 
thought her cruelties had murdered ; and while a pan- 
ic feized her whole frame, a guft of wind from the 
gate extinguifhed the taper. Matilda feemed to van- 
iih as Ihe- refolutely pufhed through the poftern door. 

Therefa was too well hackneyed in the ways of vice, - 
to let fear long qpcupy the place of prudence : the 
night was dark, and it would have been in vain to pur- 
fue the phantom, if her recovei'ing. courage had fug-- - 
gefted it ; fbe therefore; refolved to faften both doors, ^ 
and return in filence to her own apartment, waitings ; 
in ail the perturbation of anxiety and guilt, till morn- • 
ing Ihould explain the-dreadful myllery, - 

Mean vrhile Matilda confcious of her innocence, and* ' 
rejoicing in her efcape, purfued a wandering courfe- 
through the unfrequented paths of this : mountainous" 
diftricl:, during three whole days and nights, partly 
fupporting'her fatigue by the provifions ihc had tak- 
en with her, bufmore from a degree oF infanky, which - 
gave her powers beyond her natural Itrength ; yet in 
her diftraded mind, this lail Inftance of Therefa's 
wickednefs, had excited a difguft and loathing, border-* 
mg. on fury, againfl: every monaftic Inftitution. - 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. a 25' 

During the whole twelve months of Matilda's no- 
vitiate, no intercourfe of any kind had paffed between 
her and Albert, who continued under the protection 
of this houfe, alike ignorant of her father's death, and 
of ail the other tranfadlions which I have now related ; 
yet knowing that the term of her probation was about 
to expire, he refolved once more to attempt fome means 
of gaining admittance to her convent. With this 
view he made a journey tliith^r in the difgulfe of a- 
peafant ; and on the very morning in which his mif» 
trefs had efcaped, he prefented himfelf at the gate. 

Conrad, who had, by letter from the abbefs, been in- 
formed that her prifoner had fled, was defired to come 
immediately, and devife fome excufe to the fifters for 
what had happened ^ for, although both to Conrad- 
and Therefa, the fadl was evident enough, yet' the fift- 
er nuns were diilracled in conjedures ; till by one of 
thofe artful ftretches of afTurance, which confummate 
villiany finds it eafy to exert, religion (that conftant 
comfort of the good, and powerful weapon of the 
wicked) prefented itfelf as the only refource in this 
emergency. Therefa was taught to fay, for the pref- 
ent, that (he had no doubt, the fmful reiudlance of Ma- 
tilda, to receive the veil, had excited the wrath of 
Heaven ; and that fhe was miraculouily fnatched away, 
or perhaps anniliiiated, to p^revent the dreadful profa- 
nation of the holy ceremony at which Ihe muft that 
day have affifted. 

This plan had been fettled, and Conrad was going 
v/ith all hafte in purfuit of the fugitive, when, at the 
outer gatei he met the pretended peafant* The pene*!* 



s^6 THE PLEASJNG LIBRA^lY. 

trating eye, either of love or hatred, foon dlfcover^" 
a friend or enemy however carefully difguided. — Con- 
rad and Albert knew each other. In an inftant the 
flames of hatred, jealoufy and fary kindled in their 
bofoms ; and Conrad feizing Albert by the throat, ex- 
claimed, *' Vve caught the villain, the facreligious 
r-aviflier.'' A fevere flruggle enfued, in which Con- 
rad drew his fword ; but Albeit, who had no weapon, 
d-extrouily wrenched the inftrument from the hand of 
Conrad, and plunged it into his boforru The viclim 
fell, while Albert fled v/ith the utmoft precipitation 
from the bloody fcene, and returned in the evening to 
this convent. • 

*' How (hall I defcribe,'' faid the good old monk, <Hhe 
contraft between the looks of our unhappy youth at 
this moment, and on the preceding morning when he 
left us 1" Tlien, innocence, faintly enhghtened by a 
gleam of hope, fmiied on his features, as he cheerfully 
bade us adieu, and faid, ** perhaps I may again hear tid- 
ings of Matilda; fhould the will of heaven deny me hap- 
plnefs With her, I will come back refigned, and dedi- 
cate m.y future life to holy meditation, void of guilt.-' 
But, alas ! he returned breathlefs and pale, his hands 
befmeared with blood, and his limbs trembling ; he 
could only utter, in f:aukering words, ** fave me, rev- 
erend fathers 1 -fave me from juftice, from myfelf, and, 
if poffible, from the vengeance of heaven ! Behold a 
murderer!" 

Some hours elapfed before w^e could colled from 
bim-y the circum (lances of a crime, which had produc- 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 



^?f 



-cd tills extreme degree of horror and compundion, in 
a mind Co virtuous and innocent as Albert's : havincr 

o 

heard the whole, in which he irnputed the whole blame 
to his own hafty condutSl, we promiiedhim protedicn ; 
and endeavored, though in vain, for two whole days, 
to ipeak comfort to his troubled mind, and to infpire 
him with confidence in the bcundlefs mercies of his 
God. On the third day we were diverted from this 
arduous tafk, by the return and behaviour of one of 
our dogs ; the poor animal, who had been out all day, 
wdTs reftlefs, and ihewed evident -marks of a deflre, 
that fome one fliould accompany him. Father Jero- 
me and myfelf therefore refolved to follow him ; we 
proceeded about half a mile, when we turned from the 
beaten track, ftill guided by our dog, to a retired gleR, 
where human feet had hardly ever trod before. Here 
on a rock, which projected over a dreadful precipice, 
fat an unhappy, half- diilracted objedl ; which I need 
not add, was Matilda,— She had crept, with almoft 
incredible perfeverance, np a ileep afcent to a ledge 
.of rocks which overhung a dreadful chafm.; when we 
; fir ft difcovered her, flie was eagerly clinging to a 
branch of yew, which grew from a filTure in the rccJc 
, above, and which half fhaded her melancholy figure. 

The dog followed her fteps, but Jerome and myfelf, 
unable to afcend fo dangerous a path, flood, unobferv- 
ed, at a little diftance, on the oppofite fide of the 
g]en. 

When Matilda firft perceived the dog, fiie looked 
with wildnefs round her ; then fixing her eyes with 
iteadernefs.pn {Jie animal, Hie faid, "are you returm^ 



,.^^ THE PLEASING LIBRARY. |: 

W 

to me again ? and are you really my friend ? Tiq^&q 
upon It ! fliall even dogs feduce the helplefs ? perhaps 
you repent of what you would have done. — You look 

' forrowfuUy. — Alas ! Matilda can forgive you ! — ^Poor 
brute, you know I followed you all day long, and 
would have followed you forever^ but that you led 
Hie to a detefted convent ! Thither Matilda will not 
go — why fliouldyou lead me to a prifon ? A dog can* 
not plead religion in excufefor treachery.'^ She paus- 
ed, then taking a rofaxy of pearls from her fide, Ihe 

: fancifully wound it round the dog's neck, faying ** I 
have a boon to aik, and thus I bribe you ; thefe pre- 
cious beads are your's, now guide me to the top of 
this high mountain, that I may look about me, and 
fee all the world. — Then I fiiall know whether my 
Albert is dill living— Ah, no ! it cannot be, for then 
Matilda would be happy ^ and that can never, never 
be !" She then burd into a flood of tears, which feem- 
ed, in fome meafure, to calm her diftradled mind. 

When I thought ilie was fulEciently compofed, we 
difcovered ourfelves ; on this fhe fhrieked, andliid her 
face ; but calling to her, Ifaid, " Albert is ftill alive ;'* 
Ihe looked at us, till by degrees flie had wildly exam- 
ined us from head to foot ; then turning to the dog, 
ihe feized him by the throat, and would have dalhed 
him dow^n the precipice, faying, ^^ Ah traitor ! is it 
thus thou haft betrayed me ?'* The anim.al however, 
ftruggled, and got from her. She then firmiy looked 
at us, and cried, " here I amfafe, deceitful monfters ! 
free from the tyranny of your religious perfecution ; 
for if you approach one fmgle ftep, I plunge into this 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. ll^ 

pawning gulf, and fo efcape your power.*' — Then re- 
covering from a frantic laugh, fhe faidy '^ yet tell me, 
did you not fay that Albert lived ? Oh ! that fuch 
words had come from any lips but thofe of a falfe 
monk ! — I know your arts ; vv ith you fuch falfehoods 
are religious frauds ; this is a pious lie, to enfnare a, 
poor helplefs linnet to its cage : but I tell you, cun- 
ning priefts, here I defy you, nor will I ever quit this 
rock, till Albert's voice affures me I may do it fafe- 
ly." 

You wiUeafily imagine (continued the monk) the 
fituation of Jerome and myfelf ; then ignorant of the 
manner in which Matilda had efcaped, we could only 
know from her own words and adions that it was fhe 
herfelf, and tliat her fenfes v/ere impaired ; per- 
plexed how to entice her from this perilous retreat, 
and knowing that one falfe ftep would dafh her head- 
long down the dreadful chafms that parted us, at length 
I faid, '* gentle maid, be comforted ; Albert and Ma- 
tilda may yet be happy.'' Then leaving Jerome con- 
cealed among the buflies to watch the poor lunatic, I 
haftened to the convent^ to relate what T had kQXi. 

Mean while Matilda looking round her, with a va- 
cant ftare, from time to time repeated my words, '* Al- 
bert and Matilda may yet be happy ;" then paufing, 
fhe feemed delighted with th^ found re-echoed from 
the rocks, and again repeated, "Albert and Matilda 
may yatt be happy ;" iHli varying- the modulation of 
her voice, as joy, grief, doubt, dcfpair or hope, alter-' 
nately prevailed in her bofoni. 
U 



.^.^o THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

I Will not long detain you, faid the reverend fath- 
er, with the effedl my narrative had on the dejeded 
AlUsrt. — He at tirft exclaimed, "Can there be com- 
fort for a guilty wretch like Albert r'' — and eagerly 
ran towards the place, but moved more calmly, on 
my reprefenting, how fatal a furprife might be to one 
in fo dangerous a filuation ; as he approached the fpot, 
he llirunk back; and turning to me faid, "Father I 
will go no further ! Jleaven has ordained, as a pun- 
ifhment of the murder I have committed, that I ihould 
become a witnefs of the Ihocking death of the poor 
loft Matilda ; for, at my approach, fhe will, in frantic 
ecPtacy, quit her hold, and perifti before my eyes.'* 
I urged him to proceed, but it w^as in vain, he fat down 
on a bank, and continued filent,- wrapt in an agony of 
irrefolution, when he heard, at a little diftance, th^ 
well known vmce of the poor lunatic, ftill repeating^ 
" Albern and Matilda may yet be. happy :'' roufed by 
the found, he darted pp, and cautioully advancing, he 
exclaimed, " Juft heaven ! fulfil thofe words, and let 
them indeed be happy I" 

Matilda knew the voice, and carefully treading ^ 
path, which would have Teemed impradicable to one 
poffeffed of reafon, fae defcended from the ledge on 
which ihe flit, and approached with cautious fteps ; 
but at the fight of Albert, flew impetuoully forward, 
'" till feeing me, fhe as luddenly ran, and would have a^ 
gain retreated to the rock, ihrieking, "it is all illufion 
and prieftcraft! it is not really Albert, and I am betray- 
ea." Vv^e purfued, and caught her ; but finding my 
7-:ii^'ous drefs only augmented the diforder of her 



the: pleasing library. ^^i 

rfrind, I withdrew, leaving only Albert to calm hef 
aeedlefs fears. 

But no perfuafion, even from liim, could induce her 
to come within view of the convent gates ; I there- 
fore provided accomnaodations for her in the cottage of 
a laborer, at fome little diilance;. where for many days 
her delirium continued, while a fever threatened a fpee- 
dy diifolution.- During this period, Albert was labor- 
ing under all the anxiety, which fuch a fituation of a 
beloved object, may be fuppofed to infpire ; added to 
this, the deed he had committed fat heavy oii his foul, 
and he did not dare to hope for an event, which his 
own guilty thoughts reproached him with not having 
defer ved.' 

At length the crifis of the fever fhewed figns of a re-' 
CO very, and now his joy was without bounds ; even 
the blood of Conrad feemed a venial crime 1 he tri- 
umphed in the anticipation of reward for all he had 
fuiFered : but this happinefs was of ihort duration, for 
at that time I received a letter from the abbefs Ther* 
efa, demanding back the fugitive whofe retreat llie 
had difcovered. This requifition I knew I mull obey ; 
therefore giving the letter to Albert, I was going to 
explain the neceflity of my compliance, whenheburft 
into the moil bitter and violent exclamations againfl: 
this and all other religious houfes, curfing their eftab- 
lifliment as a violation of the firft law of nature. 

Having heard with a ?iiixture of pity, patience and 
rcfentment, all that his rage or difappointment could 
fagged, I anfwered nearly in thefe words : " My fon, 
blame not the pious inftitutions of our holy church. 



^5* THE PLEASING LIBRARTo 

fendified by the obfervance of many ages ; nor impi- 
outly arraign the myfterious decrees of providence, 
which often produces good from evil. This facred ed- 
ifice has been confec rated hke many others, by our pi- 
ous anceftors, for purpofes honorable to heaven, and 
ufeful to mankind ; their hofpitable doors are ever o- 
pen to diilrefs ; and the chief objed of our care is, to 
di (cover and relieve it. This holy manfion has long 
been an afylum again (l the oppreffion of human laws, 
which drove thee from thine home ; and, it is but a 
few days, fmce thou thyfelf, blelled an inftitution which 
faved the wretched Matilda, periftiing w^ith madnefs. 
Nay, at this very moment, its mercy fhelters from the 
hands of juHice, a murderer! yet thy prefumption 
dares deny its general ufe, from thy own fenfe of par- 
tial inconvenience, and execrate monaftic inftitutions> 
becaufe thy wayward pafllons are checked ; but know, 
fhort-fighted youth, the utility of thefe inftitutions 
will not be lefs eileemed becaufe they prevent the un- 
ion of Albert and Matilda, an union which would an- 
fwer no other purpofe than to propagate a race of in- 
fidels and murderers." I (topped, for I perceived the 
gentle Albert was touched with my rebuke ; he fell 
on his knees, and exclaimed, in the pathetic words of 
fcripture : *' Father I have fmned againft heaven, and 
in thy fight." '^ Tt is enough my fon, I compaiTion- 
ate your fituation ; and will do more ; for though I 
cannot detain Matilda longer than tiilfte is well enough 
to be removed ; yet in that time ( if heaven approves 
my endeavors) I may contribute to your happinefs, 
by interceding with her father ( wh ofe death we were 
Ebot then acquainted with ;) and Ihould I fail in the 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 233 

attempt, this roof, which thy hafty paffion has profaiv 
ed, fliall yet be a refuge to thee from defpair ; and I 
will ftrlve to raiie thy thoughts above the trifling dlt 
appointments of a tranfitory world.'^ 

« I could not wait the reply of Albert, faid the pri- 
or, being at this time called out to welcome a (Iran- 
ger, wlio they faid was dangeroully ill : this proved 
to be no other than the wounded Conrad. He explain- 
ed in a few words the motive of his viiit, telling rne, 
that immediately after the rencounter, dreading, that 
awful prefence in which no fecret is concealed, and to 
which he apprehended he was fummoned by his own 
fword in the injured hand of Albert, he had vowed, 
if heaven fhould grant his life, to repair the wrongs 
he had com.mltted.- He had already executed a d^td^ 
refigning all the fortune of her father, in favor of Ma- 
tilda ; he had declared his guilty- commeixe with The- 
refa, that Ihe might repent or fuiTer puilifhment ; he 
had paid all the debts of Albert, and juflified his char- 
ader to the world ; and, fmally, he had reiolved to 
implore the -prayers of myfelf, and the venerable fa- 
th-ers of this houfe, to make him worthy of tecomin!.^ 
one of our holy order, that if he lived, he xni^ht be 
ufeful, and if he died, iiappy." 

The prior coflcliidtd his narrative, by fayingy -tlial 
Albert and Matilda were united. - He then britliy 
hinted arguments in favor of monadic inflitutions ; yet 
ilUerally allowed, that the reh'gion of his country, 
might in certain points be wrong, and knowing me to 
be a proteftant, I fuppofc he acknowledged move ilr^s^ 



2^34 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

I ought 111 juftice to his candor to relate ; for this rea- 
lon.l^^VQ purpofbly flippreil^d the najiie and lltiaa. 
tion^^his convent^ but I iliall ever remember the 
words wa-which h^ iinifhed this diftourfb : " True 
reh'gion, faid he, howfoever it may vary in outward 
ceremonies, or articles of faith, will always induce 
xnanldnd to do good, to love and help each other ; it 
will teach us, that no fm, however fecret, can long re- 
main concealed ; and ihat when the world and all its 
vanities, have palled the fated appetite, you muft feek 
refuge in confcious innocence, or a fmcere repentance. 
Tlien, no matter whether you choofe ^ convent for 
retirement, or commune with your own heart upon 
your bed, and be dill.'' 



The distressed WIDOW- 

— ^ — 

1 URN not your eyes, ye happy, from my door 5 
Nor fiiun tlie Vv^idow— helplefs nov/, and poor, 
Once better day's were mine : falfe friends obey'd 
My iavitations, and e'en homage paid. 
My hearth could then the needful warmth afford^ 
And decent Plenty crown'd my cheerful board. 
That hearth with genial warmth no longer glows j 
That board no more the fplendid banquet fhov/s. 
Forc'd with thefe babes the coarfeft food to fharej 
Hard is our lot, and fcanty is our fare. 
Let her whofe tender bofom has confefs'd 
Maternal joys (her offspring at her breaft) 
To mild CQmpaiSoa's power her heart VQilgnr 



THE PLEASINGLIBRARY. ^35 

And for a moment think on me and mine. 
Compell'd my manfion for a cot to guilt. 
Soon flidl each crevice piercing blaft admit : 
On my weak babes difeafe mufl iliortly prey : 
Feeble am I — and feebler ftill are they. 
What pangs mud that ingenuous bofom feel, 
Thus torc'd impending horrors to reveal ! 
Ah I were thofe cruel fuff 'rings all my own, 
I could expire without a figh or groan 1 
Yet ftill on earth I am content to grieve, 
And for my babes alone defire to live. 

Parent of All ! whofe power direds each field > 
To birds, herds, flocks, due nourifhment to yield? > 
To me — at leaft to thefe — thy aid impart. 
And raife com.paffion in fome gentle heart. 
Few are the comforts wdiich we humbly crave : 
I'hey weep for food ; — and I — requeft a grave. 

HISTORY OF DEMETRIUS.. 



D 



'EMETRIUS, one of Alexander's fuc- 
ceflbrs, who confidered vain pomp and fuperb magnif- 
icence as true grandeur, rendered himfelf contempti- 
ble to the Macedonians in the very circumftance by 
which he thought to obtain their efteem. His head 
was enriched with the novelty of a double diadem, 
and his robes feemed fitter for a ftage than a court. 
The ornaments of his feet were altogether extraordi- 
nary ; and he had long employed artifls to make hirrj- 



X0'' THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

a mantle, on which the fyftem of the world, with all 
the ftars vifible in the firmament, w^ere to be embroi- 
dered in gold. The change of his fortune prevented 
the finiihing of this work, which remained for ages af- 
ter a monument of his pride, and the modefty of his 
fucceiTors, who neither w^ore it, nor fo much as fufFer- 
ed it to be completed. But that which rendered him 
ftill more odious, was his being fo difficult or approach. 
He was either fo proud and difdainful., as not to allow 
thofe who had any affairs to tranfacl with him the lib- 
erty of fpeech, or elfe he treated them with fo much 
rudenefs as obliged them to quit his prefence with dif- 
guft. He fuffered the Athenian ambafTadors to wait 
two whole years before he gave them audience ; and 
one day when he came out of his palace, and feemed 
to have more affability than was ufual for him to af- 
fume, fome perfons w^ere encouraged to prefent a few 
petitions to him. He received them w^th a gracious 
air, and placed them in one of the folds of his robe ; 
bat as he was paffing over a bridge on the river Axius, 
he threw all thefe petitions into the ftream. A prince 
mud certainly know very little of mankind, not to be 
fenfible that fuch a contemptuous behaviour is fufH- 
cient to provoke his fubjeccs to revolt from his author- 
ity. This proved to be the cafe with regard to De- 
metrius ; for his pride and infolence rendering liis gov-- 
emment infupportable, he was expelled the throne. 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY- 5^37 

V£KSES SUPPOSED TO BE WRITTEN BY ALEX- 
ANDER SELKIRK, DURING HIS SOLITARY 

ABODE IN THE. ISLAND of JUAN FER- 
NANDEZ.. 

— ^ 



I 



AMinonai-ch of all I furvey, 
My right there is none to dilpiite ; 
From the cortre all round to the feaj, • 
I am lord of the fowl and the biute^ 
Oh Solitude ! where are the charms, 
That fages have feen in thy face ? 
Better dwell in tlie midft of alarms, . 
Than reign In this horrible place* 

I.am oat of Iramanity^s reach j. 
I mud finifli my journey alone ; 
Never hear the fweet mufic of fpeech j -: 
I ftart at the found of my own. . 
The beafls that roam over the plain, , 
My form with indifference fee : 
They are fo unacquainted with man,.. 
Their tamenefs is ihockinoj.to me. . 

Society, friendfliip,>and love, . 
Divinely beftow'd upon man, 
Oh had I the wings of a dove, . 
How foon would I tafte you again ! 
My forrows I then might affuage 
In the ways of Religion and Truth ; 
Might learn from the wifdom of age^^ , 
And be cheer'd by the falliesof youth.. 



13» THE PLEASING LlBkAR^^ 

Religion ; what treafure untold 
Refides in that heav'nly word ! 
- More precious than filver or gold^- 
Or all that this earth can afford. 
But the found of the church-going hell 
Theie vallies and rocks never heard ; 
Ne'er fjgh'd at the found of a knell, 
Or fmil*d when a Sabbath appear'd. 

Y^ winds that have made me your fport, - 

Gonvey to this defolate fhorCj 

Some cordial endearing report 

Of a land I ihall vifit;-no more. 

My friends, do they now and then fend - 

A wiih or a thought after rae I ■ 

O tell me I yet have a friend, 

Though a friend I am never to iie. 

How fleet is a glance of the muid I 
Gompar'd witb the fpeed of its ffight. 
The temped itfelf lags behind, 
And the- fwift -winged arrows of lighto 
When I think of my own native land. 
In a moment I feem to be there ; 
But, alas ! recollection at hand 
Soon hurries me back to defpair. 

But the fea-fowl is gone to her neft^ - 
The bead: is laid down in his lair i 
Ev'n here is a feafon of reli:, 
And I to my cabin repair. 
There's mercy in every place ; 
And mercy — encouraging thought ! 
Gives even afflidion a grace. 
And reconciles man to his lot»-^ 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. %,y^ 

A DISERTATION on the AMBIGUITY of 
NOTHING. 

JSj OTHING !— thou negative to atiy- ^ 
Jing, reverie to everything, and eternal oppofite to foine^ 
thiJig ; thou art, and yet thou art not ; thou art nominal^ 
ly fornething, and really nothing ; thou art felfexijient, 
2indfelfdepe?ident ; and yet thou doft not exift nor de- 
pend at aU. Thou^didft (?r/^//7^/^ from thy fil/, and 
thjfelf originated ixcmi the^ ; and yet thouhadft no ori^ 
gin. Thou art antecedent to everything, becaufe thou 
waft before anythmg ; and yet liou never didft exiji 
not even in idea, uW fomething appeared to prove thee 
7iothing ; and although thou art eternally at variance 
with foviething, yet, if thou fhouldft obtain, thou there- 
by infureft thine ,^w«.deftru6i:ion; for "when jQ>??iething 
is no more th^ou confequently muft ceafe for want of 
an oppofite. Thou art not capable of addition nor 
diminution, for if we ^idd fofnething to nothing, thou art 
no more ; 2.\\d fomething is thy fucceffor ; and if we add 
nothing to nothing It 3II ^amounts to nothing, and the 
feveral n&things fmgular amount to nothing plural, and 
an infinity of nothi?igs plural, v/ili terminate in 7iothi?ig 
faigular. Thou art indebted to nothing, and as thou 
haft 72othing to pay, nothing, will be expedted and fiothin^ 
will be demanded. Therefcre tkou art felf-indebted, 
felf infolvent, felf expeded and feif- demanded, and yet 
.without debts, without infolvericy, wid:iout expetftation 
and without demand. TLouh2& nothing to hope nor 



:^40 THE PLEASING LIBRAHY. 

nothing to fear, and yet thou art no deity ; nor zrtthm 
:- completely or incompletely happy/ncr miferable, and 

yet we frequenly fay, ''^ Nothing is ..more happy '^ — 
^^^ Nothing is more miferalky 

Many people, who have a great opinion of their 
. own fagacity, have pretended to difcover thy moft fe- 

, cret recelfes, and have given out diat thou mayefl he 
found in the /mrr^^^/V^;;/ of a Pool^ the recantation of 

, a T(?ry, the fmcerity o£.k Courtier^ the charity of a 
Mi/efy the pockets of the Poor, the faith of a Nat ion ^ 
the lenity of a Briton^ thehonefty of a ^arter-Maf- 
tery and confequently in the bowels of the Soldier ; but 
if we inquire at moflof thefe places, we fliall find that 
there is ;2<7if^/>/o- in the affertion. Thou art frequently 
invoked and as often deprecated hj the fame perfon ; 
for v/hen we hear a. piece of, bad nenvs^ we hope there is 
?2othing m it,. and when we hear a piece oi good nenjjs.^ 
* ive are afraid there is ?2othJng in it. Thou art prefent 
with us at our birth and at our death ; for " we brought 

, nothing into the world, and we .can carry nothing out." 
Thou art not capable of creation nor propagation^ 
and yet than art tha. author of nobody that great vll- 
lian and confummate.mjfchief-maker. In facl, thou 

;art NOTHING.* 

* As the Writer has made much ado ahcut nothing, it h to he 
■ fuppofed his time Is worth, nothing and as he has fairly proved 
.nothings he is honeftly intitled to mthingy and to nothing he is wel- 



s 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. CA^ 

VIR^rtJOUS ACTIVITY. 
^^_ 

EIZE, mortals 1 feize the tranfient hour ; 
Improve each moment as it flies : 
Life 's a (hort fummer — man a 'flow'r ; 
He dies — Alas ! how foon he dies ! 

I'hc fources of happinefs. 

Reafon^s whole pleafare, all the joys of fenfe. 
Lie in three words, health, peace, and competenc-e. 
But health confifts with temperance alone ; 
And peace, O Virtue ! peace is all thy o-wti. 

Solitude^. 

O facred folitude ! divine retreat ! 
Choice of the prudent ! envy of the great ! 
'By thy pure ftream, or in thy waving lliade, 
We court f?ir Wifdom, that celeftial maid : 
The genuine offspring of her lov'd embrdc^. 
{Strangers on earth,) are Innocence and Peace. 
Th&re, from the ways of men laid fafe afiiore, 
We fmiie to hear the diftant tempeft roar ; 
There, blefs'd with health, with bus'nefs unperplex'd, 
Thiy life we relifli, and enfure the next. • 

The golden uiean. 

He that holds fafl: the golden mean, 
And lives contentedly between 
The little and the great, 

*By folitude here is meant, a temporary feclufion from the worldr 
W 



U^ THE PLEASING LIE<RAR¥, 

Feels not the wants that pinch the poor, 
Nor plagues that haunt the rich man's doory 
Imbitt'ring ail his ftate. 

Virttiis addrefs to Pleafure,^ 

Vaft happinefs enjoy thy gay allies ! 

A youth of follies, an old age of cares ; 

Young yet enervate, old yet never wife, 

Vice wailes their vigor, and their mind impairs. 
vVain, idle, dehcate, in thoughtlefs eafe, 

Referving woes for age, their prime they fpend^; 

AH wretched, hopelefs, in the evil days, 
AVith forrow to the verge of life they tend. 

Griev'd with the prefent, of the pad afliam'd, 

They live and are defpls'd ; they die, nor more are 
nam'd. 

S'Vjanns of flying infers. 

Thick in yon ilream of light, a thoufand ways, 
-Upward and downward, thwarting and convolved 
The quivering nations fport ; till, tempeft-wing'd, 
Fierce w^inter fweep» them from the face of day. 
I^v'n fo, luxurious men, unheeding, pafs 
An idle fiimm-er life,, in Fortune's (hine, 
A feafon's glitter! Thus they flutter on. 
From toy to toy, from vanity to vice ; 
Till, blown av-^ay by Death, Oblivion comes 
Behind, and flrikes them from the book of lifeo 

Bencfice7ice Its cvonre^ard. 

My fortune (for I'll mention all. 
And more than you dare tell) is fmall ; 
^^Yet ev'ry friend partakes my ftcre^ 
* Senfual pleafure. 



THE PLEASING LIBrIrY. ^43 

And Wa»nt goes fmlling from my door. 
Will forty Hiillings warm the breaft 
Of worth or induftry diftrefs'd ?' 
This fum I cheerfully impart ; 
'Tis fourfcore pleafures to my heart : 
And you may make, by meant like thefe, 
Five talents ten, whene'er you pleafe. 
'Tis true, my little purfe grows light ; 
But then I fieep fo fweet at night 1 
This grand fpecitic will prevail, 
When all the do'dtor^s opiates fail. 



j}o>=;;-srs;=s;=' 



A. 



STORY OF IDRIS, 
— ^ — 



.MONO the dancers of the place in 
the reign of Abbas the Great, king of Perfia, there 
was a young maid named Idris, whom the mafter of' 
the revels, on the report of her charms, had fent for 
from Casbin to Ifpahan. Her mother being of the 
fame profeffion, fhe had followed the fame way of 
life : but as Ihe honorably diftinguilhed herfelf from 
her female companions, flie demonftrated, that virtue 
is pradicable in every fituation of life, however flip- 
pery or dangerous it m.ay be.-- 

Scarcely had Idris appeared on the theatre of the 
capital, but Ihe found herfelf befet by the grandees, 
who drove to pleafe her by the fame means that had 
won otliers in that ftation. One exhaufted all his rhet- 
oric in commending her ihape and manner 5 another 



2U THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

extolled the form of her face, her complexion, andtHci^ 
regularity of her features. A third, to give weight 
to the encomiums he had beftowed on her voice, re- 
peated an air he had heard her fmg, and declared his 
diftrac^ion to arrive at that grace with which fhe gave 
life to the words. A fourth, boafted his precifion and 
ikill in dancing, exhibited inftantly fome of the atti- 
tudes he had learned of her. A firft-rate Sir fopling 
gave her a lift of the pretty women he had deferted 
from the moment he firft faw her. A young man, 
by birth entitled to become a Mollah, filently difplay- 
cd his figure and his drefs. An old fingerer of the 
pubhc money dazzled her eyes with a diamond of the 
firft water : andoflF«cred it, befides the perquifites of the 
contracts, which it was his cuftom to beftow upon his 
iriirtrcfs. An oificer of the crown made a pompous 
defcrlption of the prefents with which he had reeom^v 
penfed the friendSiip of the little Zaki. In iint<> eve- 
ry one exerted his facuUies and his addrefs in order 
to gain the preference over his rivals. 

But Idi'is was not to be caught with fuch b-^its* 
At the palace, at ailembiies, in the public walks, and. 
in all places, the dircourfe turned upon the new dancer. 
Every one talked of her beauty, her wit, and her en- 
gaging behaviour ; and, which was more than they 
had faid of any other of. her profeffion, they agreed 
in acknowledging her to be very virtuous. It is the 
property of none but the mo ft exalted virtue to gain 
the refpecl and admiration of young courtiers. Mah- 
xnut conceived a high opinion of Idris's virtue, from 
^he extraQrdinary eiFed it prodivced. 



TttE PLEASING LIBRARY. 24S 

MiihiTKit bore among the lords of the court the 
fame charader which Idris mahitahied among the dan- 
cers of her fex ; proof againft the defeds of his equals 
and the vices of his ftation. As foon as he began to 
appear in the world, he became fenfible of the ridicu- 
loufnefs of that noifj, obftreperous glddinefs, which 
moft young people of quality aiFe<5l ; and being hap- 
pily prejudiced againft the idle life he faw them lead, 
he took care not to follow their example, yet without 
feeming to condemn them. While their days were 
divided between the toilet, table, vifits, and gaming, 
he fpent the morning in his clofet among his books,*' 
or with thofe whofe converfation could- inftrudt him 
better. In the afternoon he frequented the manufac- 
tories and working' places about the palace ; talked 
with the ableiT: hands in the.feveral arts ; and obferv- 
ed, with the utmoft attention, how they proceeded in 
their works. In the 'evening he was at fome or other 
of the public entertaihmehts, which he enjoyed with 
a inbderati'on that is "ever infeparable from tafte and 
difcernmen't; After which he repaired to feme of the 
moft brilliant affemblies of ifpahan, as well to avoid 
a fingularity that would have rendered him odious,' - 
as- to acquire a greater Ihare of the complaiiance and ' 
politenefs which reigued in them; Mahmut's wit, and ' 
the ufe he made of it, rendered him fuperior to thofe 
w^ho were his equals in birth ; and befides the advan- 
tages of a good figure and a graceful air, he diftin- " 
guiilied himfelf no lefs among them by his natural and • 
acquired talents. Idris could not behold this amiable 
Perfian without emotion ; fne ihunned all her Impor-*'" 



246 THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

tunate fuitors, and complacently fancying him free 
from all their faults, ilie fecretly wifhed that the beau- 
ty which they had fo highly extolled might make an 
impreflion on him. Her wiihes were met more than 
half way ; Mahmut foon let her know that he loved 
her moft paiTionately ; and her anfwer to this declara- 
tion, on account of itsfiagularity, deferves to be giv- 
en entire. 

*' Doubtlefs you give the name of love," faid (he, 
with a charming fmile, '' to that which is only an ef- 
fed of your tafte for novelty ; I will not, my lord, go 
farther at prefent on this head ; it is your bufmefs to 
fix my judgment. I will ingenuoufly confefs, though 
it will give you fome unfavorable opinion of me if you 
are not the man I take you to be, that I am not dif- 
pleafed at your liking me. But if ever I fee occafion 
to alter the idea I have conceived of you, hope not 
that I fhall in the leaft indulge my inchnation, I fhall 
not take it ill if you give your heart to a woman m.ore 
virtuous than I, therefore do not complain of your lot 
if I difpofe of mine in fevor of any man whom I may 
find fuperior to you in virtue." 

Mahmnt, ftruck with admiration, and overflowing 
with joy, labored to rife to fuch a pitch as might ob- 
lige Idris to be conftant to himc. He applied himfelf 
v^'ith frefh vigor to acquire the arts and fciences necef- 
iary for a man in his ftation. He made it his bufmefs 
to relieve indigent merit and unfortunate virtue. .His 
humanity, C;enerofity, capacity, and modefty, were 
equally confpicuous ; and Idrfs abundantly reward- 
ed him for all the pains he took to pleafe h^r. Praife> 



THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 247 - 

grounded on truth, and coming iVomilie mouth offo 
charming a peribn, filled the tender Mahmut's heart 
W'hh joy and fatisfadlion. He read hi the eyes of his 
beauteous niillrel^ how dear he was to her : lie talked 
of his pailicii, and defcribed its violence. Idris iiften- 
ed to him with pleafure, vowed fhe would make him 
a juft return, and thus animated him to give her no 
occafion to repent Iter engagement. In thefe over- 
flowings of their hearts, which none but true lovers 
can know and feel all the fweetnefs of, the/ laid open 
to each other the moti fecret recefles of their fouls. 
Mahmut was grieved when he took leave of Idrisj 
nor could Ihe bear his abfence without a vifible con- - 
cem. They always parted under the great eft impa- 
tience to meet again. 

Between two neighbours fo powerful as the Grand - 
Seignior and the king of Perfia, there can be no long . 
'peace ; a war foon broke out, and Mahmut was oblig- 
ed to fet out for the army. He waited upon Idris, to 
deplore with her the dire neceffiry that forced them 
afunder; but whilft he lay at her feet,- he durft not 
difclofe to her all his grief. The fortittide of the fair 
one daunted him ; he was afraid of lefTening himfelf . 
in her efteem, by difcovering any weakiiefs. Idris per- 
ceived the fore confiift in his breaft, and loved him for 
it more intenfely. 

Mahmut had not been gene a month when he gave 
way to his defire of an interview with Idris. He flip- 
ped away privately from the army, and with the help 
of relays, vrhich he had provided on the road, he was 
at the gates of Ifpahan before they miffed him in the 



&4B»'' THE PLEASING LIBRARY/ 

C£tmp, Alighting at the houfe of one of his old fer- 
vatnts, he difgulfed himfelf in the apparel of a peafantj 
that he might not be known m the city ; and, impa- 
tient of an interview with his Idris, he flew to her 

houfe. 

The charming maid was fitting at her balcony, as 
Mahmut was advancing ; and knew him, not with (land- 
ing his difguife. Grieved to fee him thus negle<5t his 
glory and his duty, fne ran diredlly to her clofet, charg- 
ing her flave to admit no vifiter whatever. She melt- 
ed into tears at the weaknefs of her lover ; but foori 
recovered herfelf, and wrote him the following billet. 

Idris to the peafant. 
*' Friend, I know thou art to be forthwith at the 
army. Call upon Mahmurt, and tell him from me, 
that I defire him to remember that condition on which 
the_heart of Idris is to'be ftcured." 

Mahmut was too much confounded with thefe words 
to alk any q^iellioHs of the flave that delivered him 
the billet. He went back to his domeftic's houfe to 
put off his difguife ; and fluduating between admira- 
tion, grief and fear, he repaired again to the army 
wkh as much hafte as he had travelled up to Ifpahan. 
His chief ftudy being to make amends for the fault he 
had committed, he behaved the reft of the campaign, 
with fo much ardor, bravery and con dud, that he was 
defervedly promoted to a higher poft, which the king 
confei*red on him, with the moft honorable eulogies, 
at the head of the army. Idris wr^ote him a congrat- '' - 
idatory letter on bis promotion, in which) without men^ 



THE PLEASING LIEFAR^. 249' 

tionuig his weaknefs, flie gave him to underftand that 
fhe had forgiven him. 

Mahmut, traniported with joy, haftened back to If- 
pahan as foon as the army was ordered into winter- 
quarters, and liftened to no other confiderations but 
his efteem for the virtuous girl : he intreated her to 
complete his happinefs by becoming his wife. " Your 
wife, my lord !" cried Idris, with an emotion that at 
once difcovered the tendereft paffion and concern 
for the glory of her lover : << what ! would Mahmut 
forget himfelf fo far ? In difpofing of your he'art you ■ 
may indeed confult nothing, but your inclinations ; - 
but when the queftion is to choofe a partner in your 
dignity and fortune, you are accountable to thofe 
cf whom you hold both. I have the deepeft fenfe of 
gratitude- for this figiial teftimony of your efteem ; :■ 
but what will your relations fay ? What will all Perfia 
fay, whofe eyes are upon you, and who fee nothing in 
me but the mean profefTion I was bred to ? No, Mah- 
mut, it muft not be ; I fee my errer, I am afhamcd of 
my weaknefs ; I that am ready to facrifice my iifej, . 
were it neceffary, to preferve your glory, cannot be in- 
ftrumental myfelf. in fuUying it." 

Sentiments like thefe made the paHlon ate Mahmut : 
only more preffing. ** What are thofe things," fald 
he, " which create fo.great a difparity between us ? An 
inftant may deprive me of them ; but the dowry which . 
you will bring me, charming Idris, is a bleiTmg that 
depends not on man nor on fortune." In uttering 
thefe words his countenance began to be clouded with > 
grief: frefli denials drove, him to defpair ; he drewv 



^'^ ~ THE PLEASING LIBRARY. 

his poinard, and was going to plunge it into his bfeail. 
The tender Idris could hold out no longer. " Ah I 
Mahmut,'^ cried fhej " flop your hand and live; to- 
•morrow I fhali be yours, grant rae this Ihort refpite.'^ 
She could utter no more, tears put an end to her fur- 



prife, and flopped her breathy ^ --" -'^'"* ^W- i 



The news of their marriage foon took wind; and ' 
thofe who envied him the polfefTion of fo much beauty, 
abufed him for his meannefs ; while the fober and think- 
ing part of the world extolled her virtues, and only 
lamented that h^r birth and fortune had not rendered ' 
them more confpicuous and attrading^ She was pre- 
fented to the king, who was- charmed with^ her perfon, 
and finding. her heart -and hex fentime^its would not 
difgrace the higheft quality, added that which recon-*" 
ciled all parties, a title and place at court." 

I 
The INDIAN STUDENT; or, the FORCE 
OF NATUHE. 

X ROM Siifquehannah's utmoit fpriisgs, 
Where favage tribes purfue their game, • 

(His blanket ty'd with yellow firings) . 
A fliepherd of the Ferefl came. 

From long debate the council rofe ; 

And, viewing Shalum's tricks with joy, • 
To harvard-hall, o'er waftes of fnows, 

They Jent the tawny-color'd boy^ - 



•THE PLEASING LIBRARY. nS^t 

'Awhile he wrote ; awhile he read 5 

Awhile he learn'd their grammar-rules : 

An Indian Savage fo well bred. 
Great credit ^romis'd to the fchooU. 

Some thought he would in law e^cel ; 

Some faid in phyfic he would fhlne ; 
And one, who knew him paffing well, 

Beheld in him a found divine. 

^But thofe of more difceming eye 

E'en then could other profpeds fhowj 

And faw him lay his Virgil by, 
To wander with his dearer bow. 

The tedious hour of ftudy (pent. 

The heavy moulded le<5lure doncj 
•He to the woods a hunting went ; 
But figh'd to fee the fetting fun. 

•The jQiady bank, the purling ftream. 
The woody wild his heart pofTefs'd ; 

The dewy lawn his morning dream, 
In fancy's fined colors dreft. 

*< And why," iTe cry'd, *rdid I forfake 
My native woods for gloomy walls ? 

The filver ftream, the limpid lake, 
For muRy books and coU^ge halls ? 

A little could my wants fupply ; — 
Can wealth and honor give me mere-? 

■Or will the fylvan god deny 
The hunible treat he gave befpre;? 



j^^ THE PLEASING LIBRAR'Y. 

Where nature's ancient forefts grow. 
And mingled laurel never fades, 

My heart is fix'd 5 and i muft go 
To die among my native fliades.'^ 

He fpoke — ^and to the weftem fprings 

(His gown -difeharg'd — ^Iiis money fpent— 

His blanket ty'd with yellow firings) 
The Shepherd of the foreft went.. 

^Returning to the rural reign, 

The Indians welcom'd him with joy ; 
The council took hira home again, 
And bleft the tawny-color'd boy. 

WISDOM. 

— .^ — 

X$E Wifdom therefore your peculiar care, 
' Nor wafte the precious hours in vain defpair j 
Affociate with the good, attend the fage, 
And meekly liften to experienc'd age. 
V/hat, if acquirements you have faiPdto gain^ 
Such as the wife may want, the*bad attain, 
Know, that Religion's facred treafures lie 
Inviting, open, pkin to ev'ry eye, 
"For ev'ry age, for ev'ry genius nt. 
Nor limited to Science, or to Wit ; 
To elevated talents not confin'd, 
*But all may. learn, the truths for all defignM ; 
She callsj follclts, courts you to be blefi:, 
^And points to maxifions of eternal reil. 



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